Culture Media Vocabulary Flashcards

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards mapping microbiology culture media to their primary purposes, selective/differential capabilities, and target organisms based on lecture notes.

Acetamide Agar

Used for the differentiation of non-fermentative gram negative bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Alkaline Peptone Water (APW)

Enrichment medium used for the cultivation of Vibrio species from fecal specimens.

Bile Esculin Agar (BEA)

Differential isolation and presumptive identification of group D streptococci and enterococci. Differentiate Enterococci from other streptococci.

Blood Agar

Cultivation of non-fastidious microorganisms and determination of hemolytic patterns.

Bordet-Gengou Agar

Isolation of Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis. Potato-glycerol-based medium containing Methicillin (2.5um/ml) to inhibit contaminants.

Brain-heart infusion agar/broth

Cultivation of fastidious organisms.

Buffered Charcoal-Yeast Extract Agar (BCYE)

Enrichment for Legionella spp. Supports the growth of Franciscella and Nocardia spp.

Bismuth Sulfide Agar

Highly Selective medium for the isolation of Salmonella spp.

Campy-blood agar

Selective for Campylobacter spp.

Campylobacter thioglycolate broth

Selective holding medium for the recovery of Campylobacter spp., incubated at 4°C for cold-enrichment.

Cefsulodin-Irgasan Novobiocin (CIN)

Selective for Yersinia spp; maybe useful for isolation of Aeromonas spp. Uses Neutral red and crystal violet as indicators.

Chocolate agar (CA)

Cultivation of fastidious microorganisms such as Haemophilus spp., Brucella spp., and Pathogenic Neisseria spp.

Columbia Colistin-Nalidixic Acid (CNA) agar

Selective isolation of gram positive cocci in heavily contaminated sample such as stool. Contains 10mg colistin and 15mg nalidixic acid per liter.

Cystine Tellurite Blood Agar

Isolation of Corynebacterium diptheriae, which produces black colonies.

Chapman Stone Medium

Used for the isolation and differentiation of staphylococci based on mannitol fermentation and gelatinase activity.

Cystine Heart Agar

Cultivation of Franciscella tularensis.

Eosin Methylene Blue

Isolation and differentiation of lactose fermenting and non-lactose fermenting enteric pathogens. Uses Eosin Y and Methylene Blue as indicators and inhibitors.

EC Medium

Detection of coliform bacteria in water (coliform bacteria at 35°C and E.coli at 44.5°C).

Elliker broth

Used for cultivating Streptococci and Lactobacilli, particularly in dairy procedures.

Fletcher's medium

Enrichment medium for Leptospira.

Hektoen Enteric Agar (HEA)

Differential, selective medium for the isolation and differentiation of Salmonella and Shigella spp. from other gram negative bacilli. Uses Bromthymol blue and acid fuchsin as indicators.

Human Blood Tween (HBT) Bilayer

Selective and differential medium for Gardnerlla vaginalis.

Loeffler medium

Isolation and growth of Corynebacterium spp.

MacConkey Agar (MAC)

Isolation and differentiation of lactose fermenting and non-lactose fermenting gram negative bacilli. Uses Neutral Red as indicator.

MacConkey sorbitol Agar

For the isolation and differentiation of E.coli O157:H7 in stool specimens, where lactose has been replaced with D-sorbitol as the primary carbohydrate.

Mannitol Salt Agar

Selective differentiation of Staphylococci based on Mannitol Fermentation. Uses Phenol red as indicator.

MRS (de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe)

Recommended for the isolation of Lactobacillus species.

Meuller Hinton Agar (MHA)

Recommended for antimicrobial disc diffusion susceptibility testing.

Nutrient Agar

Cultivation of bacteria and enumeration of organisms.

New York City Agar

Selective for Neisseria gonorrheae; supports the growth of Ureaplasma urealyticus and some Mycoplasma spp.

Phenylethyl Alcohol (PEA)

Selective isolation of aerobic gram positive cocci and bacilli.

Petragnani medium

Qualitative procedures for isolation of Mycobacteria.

Regan Lowe

Enrichment and selective medium for the isolation of Bordetella pertussis.

Salmonella-Shigella Agar

Selective and differential for Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp.

Schaedler agar

Selective for Campylobacter spp. and Helicobacter spp.

Selenite agar

Enrichment for the isolation of Salmonella spp. Sodium selenite is toxic for most Enterobacteriaceae.

Skirrow agar

Selective for Campylobacter spp.

Tetrathionate broth

Selective for Salmonella and Shigella spp. except for Salmonella enterica Typhi.

Thayer-Martin Agar

Selective for N. gonorrheae and N.meningitides; supports the growth of Franciscella and Brucella spp.

Thiosulfate-Citrate-Bile Salt Sucrose Agar

Selective and differential for Vibrio spp. Uses Bromthymol blue as indicator.

Todd-Hewitt broth

Selective and enrichment for Streptococcus agalactiae in female genital specimens.

Trypticase Soy Broth (TSB)

Enrichment broth used for subculturing various bacteria from primary agar plates.

Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate Agar (XLD)

Isolation and differentiation of Salmonella and Shigella spp. from other gram negative enteric bacteria. Uses pheno red as indicator.