Figure 3.

Sterility control of a gnotobiotic isolator. (A) ICR swab sampling: ICR swab was incubated with germicide for 1 hour in the isolator transfer port (1). Then, the swab was opened and used to sample the walls, gloves, and connecting parts of the isolator (2). Once the swab was placed into a tube, the reservoir containing the culture medium was squeezed to completely cover the swab (3) before transferring it out of the isolator (4). (B) Fecal samples: Fecal pellets were collected from 3 randomly chosen cages (1) and placed into a reaction tube (2). The tube was then transferred out of the isolator (3). (C) Incubation: ICR swabs were incubated at 37°C for 3 days. (D) Microbiological testing: The fecal samples were dissolved in culture medium by vortexing, incubated for 2 minutes, and applied to solid agar using a Drigalski spatula. Created with BioRender.com.