Del Rosario, Ma. Veronica M. Prof. Cecilio L.

Ichon RMT, MaSPED

BSMT-3 September 27, 2021

Activity 6
Blood Agar Plate
(Making and Importance)

OBJECTIVES

1. To identify blood agar plate and its importance

2. To enumerate the types of hemolysis on blood agar
3. To analyze the difference between each type of hemolysis on blood agar
4. To illustrate the structures of the types of hemolysis on blood agar

DRAWING

Types of Hemolysis on Blood Agar

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Define Culture Media and Blood Agar Plate. Give its Importance.

Culture is a microorganisms that are grown in a lab for the purpose of

identifying and studying them are referred to as cultured microorganisms. Media or
Medium is: a combination of elements that supports the development and cultivation
of microorganisms by providing all of the key nutrients needed for growth (i.e.
multiplication) in order to cultivate these germs in high numbers for research.

Culture medium refers to the feeding material or chemicals needed to grow

microorganisms in vitro (outside of the body). Bacterial cultures are performed for a
variety of reasons, including: clinical diagnosis afterward, studying and identifying its
morphology, antigens from developing serological assays for vaccines must be
obtained by culture of bacteria, bacterial culture in vitro is also required for several
genetic research and cell modifications and another simple technique to separate
germs in a combination is to culture them on solid media.

Blood agar is made up of basic nutrients and 5% sheep blood. It can be used
to cultivate fastidious organisms and to determine an organism's hemolytic
capabilities. Hemolysins are exoenzymes produced by bacteria that lyse red blood
cells and destroy hemoglobin. Hemolysins are produced by bacteria in various forms.
Beta-hemolysin totally degrades red blood cells and hemoglobin. This clears a space
around the bacterial colony. -hemolysis is the term used to describe such outcomes
(beta hemolysis). Alpha-hemolysin partially degrades red blood cells, resulting in a
greenish tint. -hemolysis is the medical term for this (alpha hemolysis). The color is
green.

Blood agar is primarily used to cultivate and isolate finicky organisms such as
Neisseria and Streptococcus. It can also be used to distinguish between the types of
hemolysis (-, -, or -hemolytic) that bacteria produce on agar. When phenolphthalein
phosphate is added to blood agar, it can be used to detect phosphate-producing
Staphylococci. Antigens for Salmonella Typhi are frequently prepared using blood
agar. For the analysis of food samples, the blood agar base is considered a standard
approach.
 2. Enumerate the types of Hemolysis on Blood Agar and give an example of
bacteria.

Alpha Hemolysis Beta Hemolysis Gamma Hemolysis

Terms Partial Complete No

Definition  Incomplete  Enzymes lyse the  No effect on the

hemolysis blood cells red cells
produces a completely,  Is the non-
greenish or brown producing a clear destruction of red
discoloration area around the blood cells by
around the colony colony gamma hemolytic
 Is the partial  Is the complete bacteria
destruction of red destruction of red
blood cells by blood cells by beta
alpha hemolytic hemolytic bacteria
bacteria
Destruction of  Partially  Completely  Does not
Red Blood breakdown red breakdown red breakdown red
Cells blood cells blood cells blood cells
Production of  Yes  Yes  No
Hemolysin
Type of  Alpha hemolysin  Beta hemolysin  no
Hemolysin
involved
Clearance and  Leaves a greenish  Clear zone around  No clearing will
Colour or brownish color the bacterial growth occur
behind
Bacteria  Alpha hemolytic  Beta hemolytic  Gamma hemolytic
Causing species species or non-hemolytic
species
Example of  Streptococcus  Streptococcus  Escherichia coli
Bacteria viridans aurens  Klebsiella
 Streptococcus  Streptococcus pneumoniae
pneumoniae pyogenes  Enterococcus
 Listeria ivanovii faecalis

3. Give the uses and purpose of Blood Agar Plate in Microbiology.

 The primary purpose of Blood agar is for the cultivation and isolation of fastidious
organisms like Neisseria and Streptococcus.
 It can also be used for the differentiation of the bacteria-based type of hemolysis
(α-, β- or γ-hemolytic) they produce on the agar.
 Blood agar can be used for the detection of phosphate-producing Staphylococci
by adding phenolphthalein phosphate to the medium.
 Blood agar is often used for the preparation of SalmonellaTyphi antigens.
 The blood agar base is considered a standard method for the analysis of food
samples.
4. Limitations of Blood Agar Plate

 The growth of Haemophilus hemolyticus is inhibited on Blood agar due to the

presence of different inhibitors which can be deactivated only by heating the
medium after the addition of the blood.
 The pattern of hemolysis might differ with the type of blood used.
 The addition of rabbit or horse blood to the basal medium supports the growth
of H. hemolyticus, but the growth resembles that of Streptococcus species and
thus should be confirmed.

REFERENCES

1. “Blood Agar, Hemolysis, And Hemolytic Reactions | Encyclopedia.Com”.

Encyclopedia.Com, 2020.

2. “Hemolysis”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2020.

3. Aryal, S. (2018). Haemolysis of Streptococci and its types with examples.

https://microbiologyinfo.com/haemolysis-of-streptococci-and-its-types-with-examples/

SIGNATURE:

Ma. Veronica M. Del Rosario