BD 295872 - BBL Chocolate Agar Slants, Enriched Culture Medium for Fastidious Organisms, 10/BX
The BD 295872 - BD BBL Chocolate Agar Slants are pre-prepared, enriched culture media designed to support the growth of fastidious microorganisms, including Neisseria and Haemophilus species. Manufactured by Becton Dickinson (BD) under the BBL brand, these slants are formulated from trypticase soy agar base supplemented with hemoglobin and other growth-enhancing nutrients. The media are heat-lysed to release intracellular growth factors (hemin and NAD, also known as X and V factors), creating an ideal environment for organisms that require these factors for optimal development.
Packaged in convenient slant tubes, BD Chocolate Agar Slants provide a sterile, ready-to-use medium suitable for both primary isolation and maintenance of fastidious pathogens in clinical and research laboratories.
Key Benefits
The BD BBL Chocolate Agar Slants offer superior performance, consistency, and reliability for culturing fastidious organisms. Key advantages include:
- Enriched formulation: Contains lysed red blood cells releasing X and V factors essential for fastidious bacterial growth.
- Consistent quality: Manufactured under strict quality controls ensuring reproducible growth and colony morphology.
- Convenient tube format: Slanted surface provides optimal oxygen exposure and increased media surface area for efficient cultivation.
- Ready-to-use: Sterile, pre-poured slants eliminate preparation time and reduce contamination risk.
- Extended shelf life: Airtight sealing ensures medium stability for storage and transport.
Compatibility and Applications
The BD 295872 Chocolate Agar Slants are compatible with standard bacteriological incubation systems and are widely used in:
- Clinical microbiology for isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae.
- Public health laboratories for culturing fastidious pathogens from clinical specimens.
- Research laboratories studying respiratory or cerebrospinal pathogens.
- Quality control testing for sterility and microbial recovery in pharmaceutical and diagnostic facilities.
They are ideal for transport and subculturing of fastidious bacterial strains requiring enriched nutrient media.
Usage Guidelines
Allow the slant to reach room temperature before inoculation. Using aseptic technique, streak the surface of the Chocolate Agar slant with the specimen or culture. Incubate the slant at 3537C in an atmosphere enriched with 510% CO2 for 1848 hours, depending on the organism. Observe for growth characteristics typical of target organisms. After incubation, handle all cultures as potentially infectious and dispose of in accordance with biohazard waste protocols. Avoid overheating or prolonged light exposure, as this can affect media performance.
Certifications, Safety Standards, and Regulatory Approvals
The BD BBL Chocolate Agar Slants comply with FDA and CE regulatory standards for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) use. They are manufactured under ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015-certified quality management systems and conform to CLSI and USP guidelines for microbial culture media. Each lot undergoes rigorous quality control testing for pH (7.2 0.2), sterility, and growth performance using standard control strains such as Haemophilus influenzae (ATCC 10211), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (ATCC 43069), and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923).
Comparison with Competitor Products
Compared to generic or in-house prepared chocolate agar, BD BBL Chocolate Agar Slants offer unmatched consistency, lot-to-lot reliability, and superior growth performance. While competitor products may vary in nutrient composition or hemolysis uniformity, BDs proprietary lysing process ensures optimal release of X and V growth factors for robust microbial recovery. The pre-poured slant format provides enhanced convenience and extended stability, outperforming plate-based media in long-term culture maintenance and transport.
Typical User Profile and Application Scenarios
This product is primarily used by clinical microbiologists, laboratory technologists, and research scientists. Typical applications include:
- Isolation of fastidious respiratory pathogens from patient samples (e.g., sputum, CSF, nasopharyngeal swabs).
- Maintenance and transport of Neisseria and Haemophilus strains for further identification or testing.
- Diagnostic workflows in hospitals and reference laboratories for detection of meningitis and gonorrhea pathogens.
- Teaching and training in microbiology and diagnostic courses requiring fastidious organism culture media.
Best Practices for Use and Maintenance
Store BD Chocolate Agar Slants at 28C and protect from light. Do not freeze. Use aseptic technique when handling to avoid contamination. Ensure the caps are tightly closed after inoculation or observation. Avoid excessive condensation by allowing slants to equilibrate to room temperature before use. Discard any slants showing contamination, desiccation, or color changes. Follow institutional biosafety procedures when handling infectious materials or performing subcultures.
Regulatory and Safety Information
The BD 295872 - BD BBL Chocolate Agar Slants are FDA-cleared and CE-marked for professional laboratory use. The medium is classified as non-toxic and non-hazardous. It is free from animal-derived transmissible agents and contains no latex, DEHP, or other harmful additives. A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is available from BD upon request, providing detailed information about composition, handling, and disposal. The product is intended solely for use by trained laboratory personnel in diagnostic or research environments.
How to Order
To order the BD 295872 - BD BBL Chocolate Agar Slants, add the product to your cart and complete checkout through CIA Medical. We offer competitive pricing, fast delivery, and comprehensive customer support for hospitals, public health agencies, and research institutions. For bulk purchases, quality control certificates, or performance documentation, contact CIA Medicals customer service team at (312) 275-5850 or use the contact form on this page. Our representatives can assist with product availability, lot certifications, and regulatory documentation.
