Lab.

2 Culture
Media
Microbiology

‫ المرحله الثانيه‬/ ‫الكورس األول (عملي) قسم التمريض‬

Department of Microbiology Al-Hadi University College
Lec. Abd Al Munim Naji
 Growth medium or Culture medium : is a combination of substances
designed to support the growth of microorganisms or cells, Different
types of media are used for growing different types of microorganisms
and cells.
 Pure Culture : Culture medium containing the growth of single species

of bacteria and we can preserve it by :

Cooling -1
Freezing -2
Freeze-3
drying(Lyophilization)

Pure culture

 Mixed Culture : Culture medium containing the growth of two or more

species of bacteria .
 Types of Culture
Media
Culture media can be divided according to :
: Their solidity (consistency) -1

a- Solid media 2% agar .

b- Semisolid media 1% agar.
c- Liquid media 0 % agar.
a a b C

The media sterilized by moist heat.

(Autoclave )

plates (Petri Dishes) flasks or screw Test tubes

capped
 2- Their uses and
composition:
1. Natural media: Media contain natural material rich with vitamins and
their structure and concentrations are not defined such as; milk and
blood.
2. Synthetic media: Media contain chemical materials, their structure and
concentrations are defined.
3. Semi-synthetic media: Media contain natural material as well as
chemical materials.
4. Living media: Media contain living tissue used to culture viruses'.
Routine Laboratory Media
:1. Isolation medium: This type of medium contains all nutrients that are
required by most bacteria, and is used for growth of unknown bacteria
from different samples. e.g. nutrient agar .

1 2

Nutrient agar .Blood agar

Blood agar

2. Enriched medium: The medium are enriched usually by

adding blood, serum or egg. e.g. blood agar and Lowenstein
– Jensen media. Streptococci grow in blood agar media.
3. Selective medium : This type of medium contains certain inhibitors .
the medium that can prevent the certain bacterial growth while permitting
others. e.g. MacConkey agar and SS agar..

Sterile MacConkeys Cultured MacConkeys

Agar Agar
4. Differential medium: In such type of medium, certain chemicals or
indicators are added in order to differentiate between two groups of
bacteria grown on this medium . e.g. MacConkey agar and EMB agar.

EMB agar Cultured MacConkeys

(Eosin-methylene blue Agar lactose Non lactose
fermenting fermenting
agar). .
Why Differential medium
Because it contains lactose which
could differentiate between g-ve
bacteria as two group lactose
fermenter and non fermenter

MacConkey agar
5. Transport medium: In such type of media , are Special media for
transport. e.g. Stuarts media.

Transport media
6. Storage medium: This type of medium used to store the bacteria for a
long period of time e.g. Egg saline medium and cooked meat broth.

Chopped Meat Medium Tubes

7. Biochenical medium: There are several types of such media where different
biochemical tests are applied depending on the type of the medium. e.g.
fermentation test, media Triple sugar iron slant (TSI agar) , IMViC test and API
20E system :( API= analytic profile index).
Triple Sugar Iron agar
(TSI)
Yellow = sugar fermentation
TSI Black = H2S positive , Air bubble = gas
production
Triple sugar iron slant

Triple sugar iron slant

+ ve + ve - ve - ve

IMViC test API 20E system

( API= analytic profile index)
8. Antibiotic sensitivity test medium: This type of medium allows the
growth of most bacteria and do not contain any growth inhibitors or
materials that may interfere with the action of the antibiotics.

 A special media used to test antibiotic sensitivity.

 e.g. Muller hinton media.

Muller hinton media with antibiotic disc

Thank You