no growth in autoclaved seeded biosolids?! - (Feb/08/2010 )

Hi,

I autoclave my biosolids sample to sterilize and seed with pure E. coli and keep it at 37 0C (with cap closed). Only in 24 hours, or less then that, there is no E. coli left.
Why would they die, there is bunch of food and everything in it. Does autoclave change the chemistry make something toxic, or E. coli can not survive without other m.o.

thanks

have you checked if pH etc are ok so ecoli will have the possibility to grow there (food is not everything)?

And biosolids are quite complex systems, are you sure everything is dead after autoclaving? I just remember that I once had to get sterile soil, and this meant autoclaving twice, microwave treatment of the soil and gammaradiation and still some bacteria started growing when I did a quality control two weeks later....so probably you have something in your biosolid which is outcompeting ecoli?

no i did not check the pH, i will thank you