Meningococcus bacteria are grown in the Almaty laboratory: how it’s done
В Алматинской лаборатории выращивают бактерии менингококка: как это делается 23.05.2017

Almaty laboratory specialists are studying meningococcal bacteria. How is work going in the laboratory? How are contact persons examined and why do specialists “grow” pathogenic bacteria? A Tengrinews.kz correspondent visited the branch of the RSE at the National Center of Expertise in Almaty and found out the answers to these questions. An unremarkable five-story building in the city center. This is where the laboratory of the National Center of Expertise is located.

An unremarkable five-story building in the city center. This is where the laboratory of the National Center of Expertise is located.


People who have been in contact with meningococcal patients are sent here. Here they are examined for carriage of meningococcal infection. A referral for examination of each contact person is provided by the Department of Public Health. In connection with the latest events with meningitis, the laboratory worked in emergency mode. More than five thousand people were examined for meningococcus in Almaty alone.


As the Center’s specialists explain, people from areas of possible spread are being examined. Already infected persons are checked at the infectious diseases hospital.

“We have been working in emergency mode for three months now. Since the registration of the first case this year, 5,053 contact persons have been examined. Of this number, 16 carriers were identified, the list was sent to the Department. We worked seven days a week, sometimes a hundred people came a day,” - says the head of the Center’s expert activities department, Bakhyt Kantarbaev.


The examination itself proceeds as follows. First, a sample of biological material is taken from the person who came for examination. Since the “entry gate” of infection is the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, material for examination is taken from the nasopharynx using a special sterile swab.  


This procedure is very quick and completely painless. Once the material is on the swab, it is transferred to a special medium. This is necessary so that bacteria, if they are there, begin to “grow”.
“This is a microorganism, and it is very difficult to notice. There is a lot of microflora in the throat, and in order to understand whether the bacteria we are looking for are there, we need to grow these bacteria, like growing a child,” explains the laboratory specialist.

The research work is carried out in a sterile room. Entry to outsiders is strictly prohibited, and all employees work in protective suits. In addition, laboratory workers regularly undergo medical examinations, as they have to work with dangerous bacteria and viruses.




The bacteria are then transferred to special dishes. They are already processed and contain a nutritional composition made from animal whey. In such an environment, meningococcal bacteria multiply very well, which is necessary in order to identify them.



After the samples are placed, or “seeded,” in a nutrient medium, the vessels are placed in a special cabinet - a thermostat, where a certain temperature is maintained, necessary for comfortable growth of bacteria. 


Here the bacteria are stored for several days. The thermostat maintains a comfortable temperature that allows bacteria to grow quickly. 


Bacteria are grown in a thermostat for 24 hours, after which specialists examine each container.  



Each of the dishes is examined very carefully, since each type of bacteria has its own characteristic appearance. Samples are examined every day for four days. 


“The identification process is very complicated. You saw how mold grows, it’s something similar. Only in meningococcus bacteria, the growing colonies have their own characteristic pattern, and this is exactly what we need to see. The type of meningitis is also determined here,” the experts explained. After each sample is tested, the research results are sent to sanitary epidemiologists. The Center of Expertise also commented on the statement of the Almaty Department of Public Health that their specialists allegedly did not promptly identify carriers of meningococcal infection, and therefore failed to prevent its spread. 


“We cannot perform tasks beyond our competence. In accordance with Order No. 126, we were given the task of conducting a study of contact persons, we completed it. We examined the list that was provided to us by the Department and reported on the results of the inspection in a timely manner. Our planned work was carried out in a timely manner," the Center said. Let us remind you that since the beginning of this year in Kazakhstan, according to the Ministry of Health, 60 cases of meningococcal infection have been registered. Of these, 13 cases were fatal. Ten people died in Almaty and the Almaty region, two in the South Kazakhstan region and one in the Kyzylorda region. Two more patients with suspected meningococcal infection were registered on June 11, and a few days ago the diagnosis was confirmed in a child in the Aktobe region.

https://tengrinews.kz/medicine/almatinskoy-laboratorii-vyiraschivayut-bakterii-meningokokka-346534/