Preserve Bacteroides ureolyticus other fastidious organisms during their transport from clinic to laboratory using Amies Transport Medium⁵.

A concentration of NaCl at 0.3% w/v was discovered by Amies to be optimal for the preservation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Calcium and magnesium salts were added in the belief that these ions were of importance in controlling the permeability of the bacterial cells and so contributing to their survival.

Stuart³ showed that the survival of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was increased using charcoal swabs, but because they were black and dusty, they proved unpopular with the patients. Amies¹ overcame this problem by incorporating charcoal in this medium.

The agar concentration was increased from that proposed by Stuart because the presence of charcoal particles interferes with the gelling properties of the agar.

Amies removed the methylene blue indicator from Stuart’s formulation, considering it superfluous because of the presence of charcoal in the medium. Care should be taken to ensure that the prepared bottles of transport medium are not stored longer than 9 months from the date of preparation, or freshly steamed and the charcoal resuspended before use.

The value of these modifications was shown in two studies which tested the efficiency of various transport media^5,6. Amies Transport Medium is recommended for the transport of specimens to be cultured for Bacteroides ureolyticus.⁷

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