96 Part II GENERAL PRINCIPLES IN CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
Table 7-1 Plating Media for Routine Bacteriology
Medium
Bile esculin agar (BEA)
Bile esculin azide agar
with vancomycin
Blood agar
Bordet-Gengou agar
Buffered charcoal-yeast
extract agar (BCYE)
Buffered charcoal-yeast
extract (BCYE) agar with
antibiotics
Campy-blood agar
Campylobacter
thioglycollate broth
Cefoperazone, vancomycin,
amphotericin (CVA) medium
Cefsulodin- irgasan-
novobiocin (CIN) agar
Chocolate agar
Columbia colistin-nalidixic
acid (CNA) agar
Cystine-tellurite blood agar
Eosin methylene blue (EMB)
agar (Levine)
Gram-negative broth (GN)
Hektoen enteric (HE) agar
MacConkey agar
MacConkey sorbitol agar
Components/Comments Primary Purpose
Nutrient agar base with ferric citrate. Hydrolysis of Differential isolation and presumptive identification of group D
esculin by group D streptococci imparts a brown streptococci and enterococci
color to medium; sodium desoxycholate inhibits
many bacteria
Contains azide to inhibit gram-negative bacteria, Selective and differential for cultivation of vancomycin-resistant
vancomycin to select for resistant gram-positive enterococci from clinical and surveillance specimens
bacteria, and bile esculin to differentiate enterococci
from other vancomycin-resistant bacteria that may grow
Trypticase soy agar, Brucella agar, or beef heart Cultivation of fastidious microorganisms, determination of hemolytic
infusion with 5% sheep blood reactions
Potato-glycerol–based medium enriched with Isolation of Bordetella pertussis
15%-20% defibrinated blood. Contaminants inhibited
by methicillin (final concentration of 2.5 μm/mL)
Yeast extract, agar, charcoal, and salts supplemented Enrichment for Legionella spp.
with l-cysteine HCl, ferric pyrophosphate, ACES
buffer, and α-ketoglutarate
BCYE supplemented with polymyxin B, vancomycin, Enrichment and selection for Legionella spp.
and ansamycin, to inhibit gram-negative bacteria,
gram-positive bacteria, and yeast, respectively
Contains vancomycin (10 mg/L), trimethoprim (5 mg/L), Selective for Campylobacter spp.
polymixin B (2500 U/L), amphotericin B (2 mg/L),
and cephalothin (15 mg/L) in a Brucella agar base
with sheep blood
Thioglycollate broth supplemented with increased agar Selective holding medium for recovery of Campylobacter spp.
concentration and antibiotics
Blood-supplemented enrichment medium containing Selective medium for isolation of Campylobacter spp.
cefoperazone, vancomycin, and amphotericin to
inhibit growth of most gram-negative bacteria,
gram-positive bacteria, and yeast, respectively
Peptone base with yeast extract, mannitol, and bile Selective for Yersinia spp.; may be useful for isolation of
salts. Supplemented with cefsulodin, irgasan, and Aeromonas spp.
novobiocin; neutral red and crystal violet indicators
Peptone base, enriched with solution of 2% hemoglobin Cultivation of Haemophilus spp. and pathogenic Neisseria spp.
or IsoVitaleX (BBL)
Columbia agar base with 10 mg colistin per liter, 15 mg Selective isolation of gram-positive cocci
nalidixic acid per liter, and 5% sheep blood
Infusion agar base with 5% sheep blood. Reduction of Isolation of C. diphtheriae
potassium tellurite by Corynebacterium diphtheriae
produces black colonies
Peptone base with lactose and sucrose. Eosin and Isolation and differentiation of lactose-fermenting and non–lactose-
methylene blue as indicators fermenting enteric bacilli
Peptone base broth with glucose and mannitol. Sodium Selective (enrichment) liquid medium for enteric pathogens
citrate and sodium desoxycholate act as inhibitory
agents
Peptone base agar with bile salts, lactose, sucrose, Differential, selective medium for the isolation and differentiation of
salicin, and ferric ammonium citrate. Indicators Salmonella and Shigella spp. from other gram-negative enteric
include bromthymol blue and acid fuchsin bacilli
Peptone base with lactose. Gram-positive organisms Isolation and differentiation of lactose fermenting and non–lactose-
inhibited by crystal violet and bile salts. Neutral red fermenting enteric bacilli
as indicator
A modification of MacConkey agar in which lactose has For the selection and differentiation of E. coli O157:H7 in stool
been replaced with d-sorbitol as the primary specimens
carbohydrate

Table 7-1 Plating Media for Routine Bacteriology—cont’d
Medium
Mannitol salt agar
New York City (NYC) agar
Phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) agar
Regan Lowe
Salmonella-Shigella (SS) agar
Schaedler agar
Selenite broth
Skirrow agar
Streptococcal selective
agar (SSA)
Tetrathionate broth
Thayer-Martin agar
Thioglycollate broth
Thiosulfate citrate-bile salts
(TCBS) agar
Todd-Hewitt broth
supplemented with
antibiotics
Trypticase soy broth (TSB)
Xylose lysine desoxycholate
(XLD) agar
Chapter 7 Traditional Cultivation and Identification 97
Components/Comments Primary Purpose
Peptone base, mannitol, and phenol red indicator. Salt Selective isolation of staphylococci
concentration of 7.5% inhibits most bacteria
Peptone agar base with cornstarch, supplemented with Selective for Neisseria gonorrhoeae
yeast dialysate, 3% hemoglobin, and horse plasma.
Antibiotic supplement includes vancomycin
(2 μg/mL), colistin (5.5 μg/mL), amphotericin B
(1.2 μg/mL), and trimethoprim (3 μg/mL)
Nutrient agar base. Phenylethanol inhibits growth of Selective isolation of gram-positive cocci and anaerobic
gram-negative organisms gram-negative bacilli
Charcoal agar supplemented with horse blood, Enrichment and selective medium for isolation of Bordetella pertussis
cephalexin, and amphotericin B
Peptone base with lactose, ferric citrate, and sodium Selective for Salmonella and Shigella spp.
citrate. Neutral red as indicator; inhibition of
coliforms by brilliant green and bile salts
Peptone and soy protein base agar with yeast extract, Nonselective medium for the recovery of anaerobes and aerobes
dextrose, and buffers. Addition of hemin, l-cystine,
and 5% blood enriches for anaerobes
Peptone base broth. Sodium selenite toxic for most Enrichment of isolation of Salmonella spp.
Enterobacteriaceae
Peptone and soy protein base agar with lysed horse Selective for Campylobacter spp.
blood. Vancomycin inhibits gram-positive organisms;
polymyxin B and trimethoprim inhibit most
gram-negative organisms
Contains crystal violet, colistin, and trimethoprim- Selective for Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus agalactiae
sulfamethoxazole in 5% sheep blood agar base
Peptone base broth. Bile salts and sodium thiosulfate Selective for Salmonella and Shigella spp.
inhibit gram-positive organisms and
Enterobacteriaceae
Blood agar base enriched with hemoglobin and Selective for N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis
supplement B; contaminating organisms inhibited by
colistin, nystatin, vancomycin, and trimethoprim
Pancreatic digest of casein, soy broth, and glucose Supports growth of anaerobes, aerobes, microaerophilic, and
enrich growth of most microorganisms. fastidious microorganisms
Peptone base agar with yeast extract, bile salts, citrate, Selective and differential for vibrios
sucrose, ferric citrate, and sodium thiosulfate.
Bromthymol blue acts as indicator
Todd-Hewitt, an enrichment broth for streptococci, is Selection and enrichment for Streptococcus agalactiae in female
supplemented with nalidixic acid and gentamicin or genital specimens
colistin for greater selectivity Thioglycollate and agar
reduce redox potential
All-purpose enrichment broth that can support the Enrichment broth used for subculturing various bacteria from primary
growth of many fastidious and nonfastidious bacteria agar plates
Yeast extract agar with lysine, xylose, lactose, sucrose, Isolation and differentiation of Salmonella and Shigella spp. from
and ferric ammonium citrate. Sodium desoxycholate other gram-negative enteric bacilli
inhibits gram-positive organisms; phenol red as
indicator