TY - JOUR T1 - The Incubation Period in Sterility Testing JF - PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology JO - PDA J Pharm Sci Technol SP - 254 LP - 257 VL - 47 IS - 5 AU - Helen Bathgate AU - David Lazzari AU - Helen Cameron AU - David Mckay Y1 - 1993/09/01 UR - http://journal.pda.org/content/47/5/254.abstract N2 - Sterility test results gathered over a ten year period have been analysed to determine the effects of the incubation period. Overall there was no difference between the membrane filtration test and direct inoculation in the time required for visible growth of contaminants. Growth occurred earlier if products had no preservative or antimicrobial substances. However use of the membrane filtration method did not significantly enhance the efficiency of detection at seven days incubation. Regardless of the nature of the product or the method of test an unacceptable proportion of contaminants would be missed by limiting incubation to seven days. ER -