Medical Applications


Star*Pac® gas-permeable bags provide a barrier to laboratory and personnel contamination for the growth of pathogenic bacteria on solid media and prevent contamination of cultures including carbon dioxide requiring cell and tissue culture. Gases readily permeate the patented plastic film bags while microorganisms including viruses do not.

     Incubation of bacterial culture plates and eukaryotic cell culture.
     Safe incubation of culture plates outside of BL3 containment for
       biohazardous agents.
     Spill and aersol barrier for clinical handling of pathogenic plate
       cultures.
     Maintaining 5% CO2 specification standards in clinical isolation
       of Mycobacteria.
     Reducing evaporation in long term in long term tissue and agar
       plate cultures.
     Physical barrier to cross-contamination and Mycoplasma in
       forced air CO2 incubators.
     Compliance with 1995 CDC standards for safe handling of
       mycobacterium tuberculosis**.


Plating effciency and growth of Mycobacteria from sputum on agar is directly dependent on ambient carbon dioxide concentration-parafilm seal tape is not gas permeable.

**CDC 1995. Proposal Guidelines for Goals for Working Safety with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Clinical, Public Health, and Research Laboratories.
(see http://www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/tb/tbdoc2.htm) page 4 of 5 states "seal plates in gas-permeable bags or with gas-permeable tape."