Defibrinated sheep blood is sheep blood, with its fibrinogen removed, resulting in a liquid state without the ability to clot. Workers collect the blood aseptically, adding no additives or preservatives to this product. Immediately after drawing the blood, our team defibrinates the sheep blood, ensuring the agitation is sufficient to denature the fibrinogen but not to cause the rupture of erythrocytes and haemolysis.
Defibrinated sheep blood finds several applications in medical research and diagnostics. Laboratories commonly use it as a control sample in tests and experiments that require non-clotting blood. Furthermore, defibrinated blood serves in the production of culture media for growing microorganisms, e.g., blood agar plates, chocolate agar, and Columbia blood agar.
To provide the necessary conditions for the growth and identification of pathogenic bacteria in the clinical microbiology laboratory, one must supplement agar with 5% defibrinated blood. This enriched medium supports the growth of many pathogenic organisms. It also allows for their differential characterization based on their hemolytic patterns.
Using expired blood from hospital blood banks or blood from volunteers exposes laboratory staff to blood-borne infections such as HIV and hepatitis. It also changes the growth and hemolytic patterns of the cultivated microorganisms. Therefore, using sheep blood allows for the safe and optimal cultivation of microorganisms.
One other significant advantage of using defibrinated blood lies in its ability to provide consistent and standardized results. Because it lacks fibrinogen, responsible for clot formation, it ensures samples remain in a liquid state throughout testing. This consistency allows for more accurate measurements and reduces variability between samples. Additionally, this blood is devoid of any microbiological inhibitors.
Packaging of Defibrinated Sheep Blood
Packaging of the defibrinated blood is in sterile 25ml and 100 ml Schott Duran bottles.