Product Center

Continuing the Tradition of Excellence
Since 1935, BBL™ prepared media products have brought to the microbiology laboratory the highest levels of quality and performance. With the 1997 acquisition of Difco Laboratories, (founded in 1895), BD today draws on a collective 180 years of experience in media product development, manufacturing and troubleshooting. Each and every day we continue to build on that knowledge and understanding. From our process to our people, the history and tradition of excellence in BBL media is alive and well. We can point with pride to many associates in our production facilities that have been making media for 25 years or more. BD brings that experience and expertise to your laboratory each day.

Enhancements to current products in our offering have been and continue to be a mainstay of our operation. Over the years enhancements have provided a wide range of proprietary formulations to assist our customers in more effectively isolating and differentiating pathogenic from non-pathogenic microorganisms. Chromogenic media formulations are among the latest enhancements being developed and released. Formulations such as CHROMagar™ Candida and CHROMagar™ Orientation media are available and listed in this catalog.

Some of the advantages offered by BBL Prepared Media include:

• BD takes great strides to assure consistent material quality and supply by, for example, maintaining on our own farms, one of the largest flock of sheep in the country. These sheep are fed a computer-formulated, antibiotic-free diet as part of our strict quality control procedures.
• BD manufactured dehydrated media is used in every prepared media formulation. Each medium is tested against a battery of control organisms, both for growth and, when required, inhibition. Clinical strains are tested periodically to assess the current clinical picture.
• We make our own Petri dishes to ensure that consistently high quality is maintained.
• We test for product performance and hold each lot of prepared media in quarantine until it is thoroughly checked. We test finished goods as well as all components for growth and for inhibition as required.
• Local availability and delivery ensures that when BBL Prepared Media arrive at your laboratory, they are ready to yield proper performance (when stored and used as directed).
• All culture media meet the standards of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS), when applicable.

Prepared Media Efficiency
As part of the standardization process and in conjunction with knowledgeable BD sales representatives, the laboratorian should make several preliminary conclusions based on formulation usage over a two to three month period. These include:

• Standardization of Product Orders
For any single product, a laboratory should choose one product pack-out size (for instance larger cartons or small packages, but not both). Any high-volume product (i.e. 200 individual plates or more, used per month) should be purchased in cartons.

• Maximizing Product Cost Efficiencies
Generally, plated media are more cost-effective than tubed media. Plated media contain a greater surface area for isolated growth. Plates also save incubator space since they use only horizontal space (as opposed to vertical space used by tubes).

BBL Prepared Plated Media are for the isolation of microorganisms from samples or specimens. They are ready for immediate use.

BBL™ Prepared Tubed Media are for the isolation and identification of microorganisms. Tubed media are ideal for cultures requiring prolonged incubation, since many can be incubated with caps tightly closed to prevent dehydration and subsequent inhibition of growth.

BBL™ Sterile Pack Plated Media for critical environments (in gamma-irradiated packs) are validated to performance and sterility according to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) guidelines.

BD Sterile Pack Swabs are the first, double-wrapped, gamma irradiated, ready-to-use sterile swabs for surface sampling, combined with a rinse solution-filled tube.

BD Sterile Pack Bottles are terminally sterilized inside of autoclavable double-bags, resulting in a bottle exterior that is free from environmental contaminants and particulate matter.

BD Prepared Bottled Media are intended for the detection of microorganisms from pharmaceutical, food, environmental or water testing samples. They are ready for immediate use.

Difco™ Hycheck™ Contact Slides are hygiene contact slides used to assess the microbiological contamination of surfaces or fluids.