The purpose of a professional pharmaceutical microbiology organisation such as Pharmig is to ensure that we are representing the individuals who work in microbiology in healthcare settings, pharmaceutical and NHS industries. To represent the interests of our members, it is important that we offer value. The value for our members comes through, in part, the offering of various training courses, webinars, conference, microbiology publications, and a selection of fact sheets that can be used at the workbench In this blog, we are going to focus on the various publications we have available for both our membership and the pharmaceutical microbiology community.
Why release publications?
A publication on an area of pharmaceutical microbiology allows intense focus on a specific area of our profession. At Pharmig, we are motivated by becoming an organisation that moves our discipline forward in a variety of ways. Ensuring we publish useful content on pharmaceutical microbiology is important to us because it means all members can engage in this information, put it into practice and then feedback outcomes and evolutions on these various strategies and ideas. Here are some examples of publications we have currently available:
Guide to bacterial identification
Microbial identification represents an important part of the microbiology function. This includes screening products for objectionable organisms, profiling the environmental microbiota, and investigating out-of-limits events with a view to assigning a probable point of origin. In deciding what and when (and subsequently to what level) to identify, and by the way of which methods, requires an identification strategy. This is a document each microbiology laboratory should develop. Chapters within the Guide include: Why do we identify? Phenotypic identification methods, Genotypic identification methods, Rapid identification methods, and Common issues with bacterial identification
A series of eight fact sheets on pharmaceutically important fungi
Regulators have stated that knowledge of fungal identification is weak in microbiology laboratories, and many inspectors expect fungi to be identified as part of microbial contamination tracking. The problem is, few text books focus on the most common cleanroom isolates.
Pharmig has addressed this gap by profiling the most common fungi found in cleanrooms (based on FDA recalls) and presenting full colour guides to the cultivation and identification of these fungi. Included with the macroscopic and microscopic images is detailed advice on where these fungi are found and what the implications for their recovery means.
These laminated sheets are ideal for use on the laboratory bench, to assist microbiologists as they carry out their work, and as handy training aids.
Current perspectives on environmental monitoring
Whether a beginner or advanced practitioner this guide has something for pharmaceutical microbiologist and their management teams. Environmental monitoring is a critical part of microbiology, and this book is packed with useful information from industry experts on topics such as clean room microbiology, tips for achieving particulate control and setting up environmental monitoring programme.
This publication walks you through the steps needed to design, validate, and implement an effective cleaning and disinfection programme. Including: Identifying and assessing risks associated with cleaning and disinfection, User requirements for cleaning agents and disinfectants, Supplier qualification, Disinfectant efficacy testing and validation, and Controls for routine use – including application methods, in-coming QC testing, and periodic review of the programme.
The importance of microbiology publications and fact sheets
Building a meaningful membership and community for pharmaceutical microbiology means, for Pharmig that its members find value not just through in person or virtual training, conferences, and webinars but also to have ‘hands on’ access to key information. When we release publications, it helps move our practice forward globally and allows Pharmig to become a forum for the dissemination of information, concerning all aspects of microbiology. At its heart, pharmaceutical microbiology is all about learning and progression and therefore regularly producing microbiology publications is a critical part of that development.
