With an increasing need for Virus Sampling for Throat or Nasal secretions, extensive research and production of Virus Transport Medium Kit (VTM kit) have been going on. The diagnosis of COVID-19 infections by Cell Culture relies heavily on careful and aseptic virus sampling. Over the years, a variety of transport media have been formulated and although some swab-tube combinations have proven to be effective and convenient, there are still concerns over pH and viral integrity. 

Viral Transport Medium Kit Guidelines (WHO and CDC)

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a dire requirement for specialized disposable virus sample collection and transport kit to allow effective transport of the virus prior to molecular detection assay for diagnosis. Word Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came up with certain guidelines or protocols for Viral Transport Medium preparation. According to WHO, a suitable Viral Transport Medium kit for virus sampling from human patients is prepared with the following reagents: 10g veal infusion broth and 2g bovine albumin fraction in sterile distilled water (400 ml). For avoiding contamination, 0.8 ml gentamicin sulfate solution (50 mg/ml) and 3.2 ml amphotericin B (250 µg/ml) should also be added.

As per CDC guidelines, Viral Transport Medium kit reagents can be the following: HBSS with Calcium and magnesium ions, 2% heat-inactivated FBS, 100µg/ml Gentamicin sulfate, and 0.5µg/ml Amphotericin B. In order to do sterility checks, CDC recommends the use of the blood agar plate for checking microbial growth upon incubation. As a common guideline for viral transport medium storage, the following suggestion should be maintained: For an optimal storage period of 48 hours-96 hours, the viral transport medium kit is stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius without freezing. For a greater period of storage, the viral transport medium kit is stored at -20 degrees Celsius until used (but one should prevent freeze-thaw cycles at any cost).

How Is The VTM Kit Effective For Virus Sampling?

The Viral Transport Medium’s nutritional components and pH make it the ideal culture medium for virus sampling in case of the home collection of COVID-19 sample for testing in lab space. Modified and enriched HBSS, cysteine, gelatin, sucrose and glutamic acid, help in maintaining the coronavirus viability during the transport and specific antibacterial and anti-fungal agents like Vancomycin, Amphotericin B and gentamycin make the risk of contamination minimal. Sucrose in the media further facilitates virus viability when stored at lower temperatures for a longer period of time. Therefore, Viral Transport Medium Kits ensures effective virus sampling with less chance of improper diagnostic results upon molecular detection assay through RT-PCR methods.

Approved by ICMR and Validated by the National Institute of Virology, AdvancellsTM Viral Transport Medium kit is specially manufactured based on WHO and CDC guidelines. Generally, the specialized VTM kit comes with nasopharyngeal and/or oropharyngeal swabs for the collection of the throat or nasal secretions.

AdvancellsTM VTM guarantees standardized production and quality control with minimized lot variation. For inquiries, contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] for free Viral Transport Medium Kit information.