FAQ - microorganisms

All information we have on a strain can be found in the databases of the DSMZ Digital Diversity platform. To facilitate access to relevant strain information, there is a direct link to associated data on the right side of each strain entry in the online catalogue.

A type strain is defined in the “International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria” as the “nomenclatural type of the species”, and is the "reference point" to which all other strains are compared to know whether they belong to that species. Type strains are marked as such and can be searched by ticking the relevant box when conducting a catalogue search for e.g. bacteria.

One reason may be that the strain has been lost or, after publication of the description, turned out not to show the characters given for the taxon. In rare cases it may happen that a strain has to be checked and is therefore temporarily not visible in the catalogue until clarification. Also, it may take a while for a strain to be released to the online catalogue after publication. Another reason may be that the strain was deposited for patent purposes. These strains and their data are kept confidential by the DSMZ.
Please contact us via the customer support form to find out the reason for the lack of showing in the online catalogue.

The history of a strain (as far as known to the DSMZ) can be found in our online catalogue in the individual strain entries. The information is given in chronological order, with the most recent holder of the strain to the left, the oldest holder of the strain to the right.

The forms of delivery are indicated for every individual strain in the respective strain entry in our online catalogue. In case a strain is not available in freeze-dried form, it will be sent as an actively growing culture.
If you order an actively growing culture where a freeze-dried culture is available, the fee is higher due to the additional work required. Some organisms can also be requested as frozen aliquots (delivered on dry ice). If you cannot find this option in the catalogue, please ask our sales department (sales(at)dsmz.de). For details please see our price list.

In some cases, the ZKBS (Central Committee on Biological Safety), the responsible organ for the classification of biological material in connection with genetic engineering, classifies an organism differently than the TRBA (Technical Rules for Biological Agents). The DSMZ wants to inform its customers about an allocation in a higher risk group to make them aware that the organism might pose a higher risk than its legal allocation according to the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) implies.