RESUMEN
Liquid nitrogen freezing is recommended for long-term preservation of Leptospira serovars. However, there is no standard protocol to follow for this methodology. We herein report a simple procedure to preserve well-characterized Leptospira serovars unaltered for long-term storage in liquid nitrogen. Forty-three (43) leptospira strains, cryoprotected with 10% (v/v) glycerol were rapidly frozen in a dry-ice methanol bath and immediately submerged in liquid-nitrogen. Viability was retained in 100%, 93% and 83% of the frozen cultures after 6, 18 and 54 months, following freezing and storage in liquid nitrogen, respectively. Motility and agglutinability were not altered. These results demonstrate the usefulness of this protocol for long-term storage of genus Leptospira in liquid nitrogen.
Asunto(s)
Leptospira/crecimiento & desarrollo , Nitrógeno , Técnicas Bacteriológicas/métodos , Frío , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
Liquid nitrogen freezing is recommended for long-term preservation of Leptospira serovars. However, there is no standard protocol to follow for this methodology. We herein report a simple procedure to preserve well-characterized Leptospira serovars unaltered for long-term storage in liquid nitrogen. Forty-three (43) leptospira strains, cryoprotected with 10% (v/v) glycerol were rapidly frozen in a dry-ice methanol bath and immediately submerged in liquid-nitrogen. Viability was retained in 100%, 93% and 83% of the frozen cultures after 6, 18 and 54 months, following freezing and storage in liquid nitrogen, respectively. Motility and agglutinability were not altered. These results demonstrate the usefulness of this protocol for long-term storage of genus Leptospira in liquid nitrogen.
Se recomienda la congelación en nitrógeno líquido para el mantenimiento de cepas de leptospiras a largo plazo. Sin embargo, no existe para ello una metodología de trabajo estandarizada. En este trabajo se presenta y evalúa un protocolo simple para conservar inalteradas cepas de leptospiras en nitrógeno líquido durante largo tiempo. Cuarenta y tres (43) cepas de leptospiras crioprotegidas con glicerol al 10% (v/v) fueron rápidamente congeladas en un baño de metanol y hielo seco, e inmediatamente sumergidas en nitrógeno líquido. Fue posible recuperar el 100%, 93% y 83% de los cultivos congelados a los 6, 18 y 54 meses poscongelación, respectivamente, sin observarse alteración en la movilidad ni en la aglutinabilidad de las cepas recuperadas. Estos resultados demuestran la utilidad del protocolo presentado para conservar cepas del género Leptospira en nitrógeno líquido durante largos períodos de tiempo.
