System and method for liquid culture of anaerobic or microaerophilic microorganisms

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.