PLATING MEDIA FOR ROUTINE

BACTERIOLOGY (Bailey and Scott

12th ed and Mahon)
MEDIUM COMPONENTS PRIMARY PURPOSE
Alkaline 0.5-1.0% NaCl For Vibrio spp.
Peptone
Water

Bordet-Gengou Potato-glycerol-based medium with 15- vancomycin

20% Campy-blood trimethopri
defibrinated blood. Contaminants inhibited agar
agar
by Proteus,
methicillin polymyxin B
Bismuth sulfite and brilliant green inhibits bacilli,
gram amphoteric
Bismuth sulfite positive bacteria, most lactose-fermenting cefoperazon
agar (BSA) intestinal normal flora and Shigella used)
inhibits Pse
Ferrous sulfate detects H2S production
Enterobacte
Brain Heart Contains Brain and beef hear which Cefoperazone, Blood-supp
provides plus
nutrients; peptones, glucose, NaCl and Vancomycin, antibiotics
Infusion (BHI) buffers are
Amphotericin Cefoperazo
also added
(CVA) medium negative ba
Yeast extract, agar, -ketoglutarate, and
salts
Buffered supplemented with L-cysteine enhance
charcoal- recovery
yeast extract of Legionella; activated charcoal absorbs
toxic
(BCYE) agar compounds; ferric pyrophosphate which
provides
iron; HCl and ACES buffer are also added
Casein medium Contains casein
Cetrimide (cetyltrimethyl ammonium
Cetrimide agar bromide/CTAB)
(pseudosel Magnesium chloride and potassium sulfate
agar)
stimulate pyocyanin production
Brucella Agar-based since it contains Na
bisulfite enhances recovery of
microaerophiles by
lowering redox potential;
Contains 10% sheep blood plus
antibiotics:
 For Bordetella pertussis

For isolation of Salmonella spp.

For cultivation of non-fastidious and moderately fastidious

microorganisms

For Legionella spp.

For Actinomycetes

Selects Pseudomonas aeruginosa in specimens with mixed flora

For Campylobacter spp.

For Campylobacter spp.

 Eosin methylene blue (EMB) agar Vancomycin (inhibits
(Levine) gram-positive
bacteria)
Cefsulodin-
Amphotericin
Irgasan-
(inhibits yeast)
Novobiocin
(CIN) Peptone base with
agar yeast extract,
mannitol, and bile
Chocolate salts
agar Antibiotics:
Cefsulodin, Irgasan
Columbia and Novobiocin
Colistin- Indicators: Neutral
Nalidixic red and Crystal violet
acid (CNA)
agar Peptone base,
enriched with
solution of 2%
hemoglobin or
Cycloserine- isovitalex
Cefoxitine-
Fructose Columbia agar base
Agar
with 10 mg colistin per
liter, 15 mg nalidixic
acid per liter, and 5%
sheep blood
Cystine-
tellurite Cycloserine and
blood agar cefoxitin inhibit the
growth of intestinal
normal flora;
Fructose to check for
Desoxycholat fermentation; and
e neutral red as pH
Citrate Agar indicator
VARIATION: uses
mannitol instead of
fructose and
bromthymol blue
instead of neutral red;
egg yolk Peptone base with lactose and sucrose.
suspension can Eosin and methylene blue as indicators
also be added For Yersinia spp.;
to detect Yersinia enterocolitica
lecithinase and show bulls eye
lipase activity colonies;
Infusion agar may be useful for
with 5% sheep isolation of
blood. Aeromonas pp.
Reduction of For fastidious
potassium organisms such as
tellurite by Haemophilus and
C.diphtheriae pathogenic Neisseria
produces spp.
black colonies
Sodium citrate For gram-positive
and Sodium cocci
desoxycholate
inhibits most
non pathogenic
enteric bacilli
and gram For Clostridium
positive difficile yellow
organism; colonies
Lactose to
detect
fermentation
Ferric
ammo For C. diphtheriae
nium (black colonies with
citrate brown halos)
to
detect
H2S
produ For isolation of
ction enteric
SHOULD NOT pathogens
BE
AUTOCLAVED
 For differentiation of lactose-fermenting and
Isolation and non-lactose fermenting enteric bacilli
Fletcher
Semi- Rabbit serum and hemoglobin For Leptospira
solid Peptone base broth with glucose and Selective (enrichment)
medium mannitol.
Sodium citrate and sodium desoxycholate medium for enteric
Gram- act as
negative inhib pathogens
broth
(GN)
 itory agents
Differential, selective
Peptone base agar with bile salts,
medium for isolation
Hektoen lactose, sucrose and salicin, and ferric
and differentiation of
enteric ammonium citrate. Indicators include
Salmonella and Shigella
agar (HEA) bromthymol blue and acid fuchsin
spp. from other gram-
negative enteric bacilli
High carbohydrate and Low peptone
Determines whether an
content Bromthymol blue as pH
Hugh- organism is oxidative,
Leifson indicator
fermentative or
OF Medium (alk = blue; acid = yellow)
biochemically inert
Lactose and glucose (10:1
ratio); Phenol red as pH For determination of
indicator; glucose or lactose
Kliglers Iron Peptone as carbon or nitrogen source; fermentation, gas and
Agar
Sodium thiosulfate and ferric ammonium H2S production
sulfate as sulfur source and H2S
indicator;
known as Modified Todd-Hewitt
For Streptococcus
Lim Broth broth; Peptones, yeast extract, agalactiae
dextrose;
Colistin and Nalidixic acid inhibits gram
negative organisms
Loeffler High serum content
Coagulated MacConkey agar and eggs to detect
Serum proteolytic activity
Slant

Potato flour, egg and

glycerol as nutrient
source and as
detoxifying agent;
Asparagine for
Lowenstein-
Jensen maximum production
Medium of niacin; Malachite
green inhibits growth
of other bacteria
medium should be
kept away from light
since malachite
green is light inhibited by crystal violet and bile Enhances
sensitive; salts. metachromatic
GRUFT Neutral red as indicator granule formation of
MODIFICATION: Corynebacterium
addition of diphtheriae
penicillin and
nalidixic acid to
make it
selective, and
RNA to increase
rate of isolation For Mycobacterium
PETRAN & VERA spp.
MODIFICATION:
cyclohexamide,
lincomycin and
nalidixic acid are
added
Peptone base Isolation and
with lactose. differentiation of
Gram- lactose-fermenting and
positive non-lactose fermenting
organisms enteric bacilli
Mannitol salt Peptone base, mannitol, and phenol red Selective isolation of
agar indicator.
Salt concentration of 7.5% inhibits most staphylococci
bacteria
 Thiosulfate citrate-bile salt
Phenyl ethyl Nutrient agar
sucrose (TCBS) agar
alcohol (PEA) base. Phenyl
agar ethanol inhibits
growth of gram-
Regan Lowe negative
organisms
Salmonella-
Charcoal agar
Shigella (SS)
supplemented with
agar
horse blood,
cephalexin, and
Schaedler amphotericin B
agar Peptone base with
lactose, ferric citrate,
Selenite and sodium citrate.
broth Neutral red as indicator;
inhibition of coliforms
by brilliant green and
Skirrow agar bile salts Peptone and
soy protein base agar
with yeast extract,
Streptococ dextrose, and buffers.
cal Addition of hemin, L-
selective cystine, and 5% blood
agar (SSA) enriches for anaerobes
Tetrathionat Peptone base broth.
e Sodium selenite toxic
broth for most
Enterobacteriaceae
Peptone and soy
Thioglycollat
e protein base agar with
broth lysed horse blood.
Vancomycin inhibits
gram-positive
organisms; polymyxin B
Tinsdale
Agar and trimethoprim
inhibit most gram-
negative organisms

Contains crystal violet,

colistin, and
trimethoprim llurite Cystine Selective isolation of
sulfamethoxazol Thiosulfate gram-positive cocci and
e in 5% sheep Peptone base agar with yeast extract, anaerobic gram-
blood agar base sucrose (to detect fermentation); negative bacilli
ferric citrate and sodium thiosulfate to
Peptone base For Bordetella
detect H2S production; pertussis
broth. Bile
Na citrate, bile salts (10% oxgall) and
salts and
Na thiosulfate inhibit gram positive
sodium For Salmonella and
bacteria and gram negative rods; Shigella
thiosulfate
Bromthymol blue acts as indicator (alk = spp.
inhibit gram-
green; ac = yellow)
positive Nonselective medium
organisms and for the recovery of
Enterobacteria anaerobes and aerobes
ceae
For Salmonella spp.
Pancreatic
digest of
casein, soy
For Campylobacter
broth, glucose
spp.
enrich growth
of most
microorganis
For S. pyogenes
ms;
and S.
Thioglycollate,
agalactiae
cystine and
sodium sulfite
For Salmonella and
act as Shigella
reducing spp.
agents;
P Supports growth of
o anaerobes, aerobes,
t microaerophilic and
a fastidious
s microorganisms For
s Corynebacterium
i diphtheriae (black
u colonies with brown
m halo)

t
e
For Vibrio
sp/
 An enrichment broth for streptococci,
Todd-Hewitt
supplemented with nalidixic acid and For S. agalactiae in
broth
gentamicin or colistin for greater female genital
supplemente
selectivity thioglycollate and agar reduce specimens
d with
redox potential
antibiotics
Enrichment broth used
All-purpose enrichment broth that can
for subculturing
support the growth of many fastidious
Trypticase various bacteria from
and non-fastidious bacteria
soy primary agar plates
broth Yeast extract agar with lysine, xylose,
Isolation and
lactose, sucrose, and ferric
differentiation of
ammonium citrate; Sodium
Salmonella and
Xylose desoxycholate inhibits gram-positive
Shigella spp. from
lysine organisms
other gram-negative
desoxychol phenol red as indicator
enteric bacilli
ate (XLD)
agar