Autoclaving is my problem - (Dec/27/2011 )

Dear new friends,
I need an urgent advice, I am a student in a material science lab on which they recently establishing cell culture unite, the responsible senior post doctor bought all the devices and left the lab after that, so I am suffering from his choices in devices no one in my lab can help me, as this senior was only the one with previous experience \, even my professor is new in this area.

My Autoclave problem: After autoclaving the items are coming wet from, I don`t know what I can do, I dry them in an oven after that,
is this enough???
besides how I can maintain the sterility if I take them wet from autoclave, and walk aroun 6 meters till oven, ut them in 60-80C wait around 30-60 minute till they are dry, then take the items, as a result of my uncertainty of sterilization I suspect my work all the items, especially when spherical shaped objects appeared on my cultured plates

Please Does any one has a similar experience with no drying option autoclave machine.
and what are the proper steps for using this kind of autoclave.

This is my autoclave
http://www.alpco.co.jp/alpweb/series/auto.html
Model is KT-2346(20L)

Best Regards

madelingirly on Tue Dec 27 06:12:23 2011 said:

ya, me too get this problem when i start lab works early days. Therefore, I usually dry the plastics before autoclave it. then I pack them in a bag then only autoclave it. after it finished again i dry it until needed.

U make sure before autoclave that whether it dried or not..
while autoclave the falken tubes do not close them tightly or do not allow them while open..

Thanks.

Thanks guys for your help,
now I have a fungal infection problem in my cultured plate, I think it may be yeast, I dont know.
So I want to make sure that my sterilization is complete and perfect.

So according to ur previous experience
science noob, afRNA,

Drying in an oven is enough to overcome the problem and maintain sterility, I hope so.
So could one suggest what might be the source of yeast infection,

Why not you call the company itself to solve it.

Autoclaves sterilise using steam heat under high pressure, so it is natural to expect items to come out wet. Drying as others have described is perfectly acceptable and is the norm.

Your contamination issues are not caused by this wetness.

In almost all cases of tissue culture contamination, it is the poor aseptic technique of the person doing the culturing that is the problem. Given how new you are to tissue culture, and the lack of experienced staff to train you, I'd say this is the case for you.

Is there anyone in a lab nearby that could demonstrate technique to you, and then watch you do your work to check for any possible errors?

Failing that, go to the tissue culture section on this forum, and read through the posts of others who have had contamination issues, as there are many good suggestions for correct technique etc (especially from Uncle Rhombus, bob and the like...).

Also, find yourself some tutorials or resources online, where you can read about the principles of autoclaves, sterility and aseptic technique (in relation to tissue culture), as you need to fully understand what you are doing to be able to find any mistakes you are making.

Hope that helps.

Dear leelee,

I am very grateful for your helpful advice, I have watched several tutorial online, and read several books regarding cell culturing.
I can`t really determine where is my leak in my aspectic techniques and devices.
In out lab we have only one refrigerator, so I am putting my reagents in it, besides some other lab colleagues putting some juice in it, I know it is wrong, but only one fridge, what I can do is only rinsing my bottles thoroughly with 70% alcohol.
Another suspected reason, is the oven which I share with my colleagues too, on 60 C only.
Another suspected reason is my water bath, which I share with others, and I clean every weak with soap and 70% alcohol.
The Incubator may be the problem, from couple of days ago, I said I will clean my incubators, so I putted my 2 plates in the hood, remove all the trays and wiped inside incubator with 70% alcohol and each tray was wiped too, then I putted every thing back, and put my plates in place, the next day one of my plates was infected with typical fungi, which can be seen by naked eye, so I throw it, however, the other plate has nothing in it, except these small spherical shapes, which I suspect to be yeast, but no turbidity, or precipitation on my plate is observed yet, I dont know.

Another suspected reason, is me,
As I am very new in this, some times my gloves touch outside the clean bench, then I rinse it with 70% ethanol.
some times a drop of medium is wetting the inside wall of my plate which may be the reason for contamination.

I wish if any one with similar position could share his experience with me

Finally, I am deeply indebted for your nice comments

Another

madelingirly on Fri Dec 30 03:25:21 2011 said:

Dear
science noob

At first I am very grateful for your helpful comment
I am culturing human cancer cell line, the medium and cell lines are from reliable sources (Japan cell bank, Nacalia Tesque)
I am autoclaving pastuer pippettes, and plastic bottles on which I put my medium instead of using the whole stock medium bottle,
when I autoclave my pasteur pippettes I want to wrap with with aluminium foil, but I dont know which is better, wrap it or sterile it free, but it in a container and close it with aluminium foil.
all other things are disposables that includes serolgical pippettes and cultured plates.