System and method for liquid culture of anaerobic or microaerophilic microorganisms

1. A method, comprising:

forming an aqueous mixture in a container; the mixture comprising a sample containing a microaerophilic microorganism of a genus selected from the group consisting of Campylobacter, Borrelia and Helicobacter , a predefined volume of a medium that supports growth of a microaerophilicmicroorganism, and an oxygen scavenging system;

wherein said oxygen scavenging system comprises effective amounts of i) an enzyme of an oxidoreductase family and ii) a substrate for said enzyme;

activating said oxygen scavenging system by hydration thereby depleting dissolved oxygen in the medium to a concentration of 10 μM or less;

wherein the enzyme is selected from a group consisting of ascorbic acid oxidase and laccase; and

incubating the aqueous mixture to facilitate at least one cell division of said microaerophilic microorganism of a genus selected from the group consisting of Campylobacter, Borrelia and Helicobacter.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting growth of the microaerophilic microorganism of a genus selected from the group consisting of Campylobacter, Borrelia and Helicobacter.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising: analyzing the microaerophilic microorganism of a genus selected from the group consisting of Campylobacter, Borrelia and Helicobacter to associate the microaerophilic microorganism with a genus, a species, or a group of microorganisms characterized by a feature other than its ability to grow in an oxygen-containing environment.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme comprises ascorbate oxidase, wherein the substrate is selected from the group comprising ascorbic acid or a salt thereof, a derivative of ascorbic acid or a salt thereof, hydroquinone, pyrogallol, catechol, or a mixture of any two or more of the foregoing substrates.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme comprises laccase, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a phenol, L-tyrosine, o-diphenol and p-diphenol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, and mixtures of any two or more of the foregoing substrates.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method promotes the enrichment of anaerobic or microaerophilic microorganisms in a mixed microbial population comprising an aerobic microorganism and at least one of a microaerophilic microorganism or an anaerobic microorganism.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein, after forming the aqueous mixture, the enzyme is present in the mixture at a concentration of at least 1000 units/L.

8. The method of claim 1 , after forming the aqueous mixture, the substrate is present in the mixture at a concentration of about 0.1 to 100 mg/ml.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein; prior to forming the aqueous mixture; at least a portion of the oxygen-scavenging system is deployed as a solution, a tablet, a sachet, a coating disposed on an inside surface of a wall of the container, or a powder.

10. The method of claim 1 , forming the aqueous mixture comprises contacting a mixture of the oxygen scavenging system and the sample with the medium.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the aqueous mixture comprises contacting the oxygen scavenging system with an aqueous liquid mixture comprising the sample and the medium.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein depleting dissolved oxygen in the medium to a concentration that facilitates the growth comprises depleting the dissolved oxygen to the concentration in about 60 minutes or less.

13. A method, comprising:

forming an aqueous mixture in a container; the mixture comprising a sample containing a microaerophilic microorganism of a genus selected from the group consisting of Campylobacter, Borrelia and Helicobacter and aerobic microorganisms in a concentration that it at least 1,000 times higher than the concentration of the microaerophilic microorganism, a predefined volume of a medium that is capable of supporting the growth of the microaerophilic microorganism, and an oxygen scavenging system;

wherein said oxygen scavenging system comprises effective amounts of i) an enzyme of an oxidoreductase family and ii) a substrate for said enzyme;

activating said oxygen scavenging system by hydration thereby depleting dissolved oxygen in the medium to a concentration;

wherein the enzyme is selected from a group consisting of ascorbic acid oxidase and laccase; and

incubating the aqueous mixture under conditions suitable to facilitate at least one cell division of the microaerophilic microorganism;

wherein depleting dissolved oxygen in the medium to a concentration that facilitates the growth comprises depleting the dissolved oxygen to the concentration in about 60 minutes or less; and

wherein the concentration that facilitates the growth is 10 μM or less.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the enzyme comprises ascorbate oxidase, wherein the substrate is selected from the group comprising ascorbic acid or a salt thereof, a derivative of ascorbic acid or a salt thereof, hydroquinone, pyrogallol, catechol, or a mixture of any two or more of the foregoing substrates.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the enzyme comprises laccase, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a phenol, L-tyrosine, o-diphenol and p-diphenol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, and mixtures of any two or more of the foregoing substrates.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein, after forming the aqueous mixture, the enzyme is present in the mixture at a concentration of at least 1000 units/L.

17. The method of claim 13 , after forming the aqueous mixture, the substrate is present in the mixture at a concentration of about 0.1 to 100 mg/ml.