❖ Original Color: Dark Green ❖ Selective:

➢ For: Gram Negative Enteric bacilli

➢ Inhibitors: Bile Salts, Citrate ❖ Differential:
➢ Indicators: pH Indicator: Bromthymol Blue (BTB)
➢ H2S Indicator: Ferric ammonium citrate
➢ Sulfur Source: Sodium thiosulfate

E. Bismuth Sulfite (BSA) Agar

❖ Selective:
➢ For: Salmonella spp. (Salm. Typhi has distinct appearance)
➢ Inhibitors: Bismuth sulfite
➢ CHO Incorporated: Glucose
❖ Salmonella typhi colonies appear as black colonies with silver metallic sheen

F. Brilliant Green (BGA) Agar

➢ For: Vibrio spp.
➢ Inhibitors: Thiosulfate, Citrate, Bile Salts ❖ Differential:
➢ Indicators: Bromthymol Blue (BTB)

H. Mannitol Salt (MSA) Agar

❖ Original Color: Light/ Salmon Pink ❖ Selective:
➢ For: Staphylococcus spp.
➢ Inhibitors: High concentration of salts (7.5%) ❖ Differential:
➢ Indicators: Phenol Red
I. Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) Medium

❖ Original Color: Light Green ❖ Selective:

➢ For: Mycobacterium spp.
➢ Inhibitors: Malachite Green ❖ Sputum Sample needs to be:
1. Decongested/ Digested – To dissolve the thick mucus/mucin that might be trapping the bacteria in the sample. N-acetyl-
Lcysteine (NALC) is usually used
2. Decontaminated – To eliminate normal flora that contaminates the sample. NaOH is usually used

J. Selective Medium Neisseria

for spp.
❖ Neisseria spp., Gram negative cocci
❖ Usually composed of chocolate agar base with antibiotics

Culture Gram + Inhibitor Gram - Fungal Proteus spp.

Media Inhibitor Inhibitor Inhibitor
Thayer Vancomycin Colistin Nystatin
Martin Agar
(TM)
Modified Vancomycin Colistin Nystatin Trimethoprim
Thayer
Martin Agar
(MTM)
Martin- Vancomycin Colistin Anisomycin Trimethoprim
Lewis Agar
(MLA)
New York Vancomycin Colistin Amphotericin Trimethoprim
City Agar B
(NYC)
GC-LECT Decreased Colistin Amphotericin Trimethoprim
concentration of B
Vancomycin; added
with Lincomycin

VI. CULTURE MEDIA FOR ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY/ SENSITIVITY TESTING (AST)

❖ Most Bacteria
 ➢ Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA) and Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB)
❖ Haemophilus spp. (fastidious organism – difficult to grow)
➢ Mueller Hinton with Chocolate Agar Base or Haemophilus Test Medium (HTM) Agar ❖ Mycobacterium
spp.
➢ Middlebrook 7H10 or 7H11 Medium

A. Characteristic/ Biochemical Culture Media

❖ Sulfide Indole Motility Medium (SIM)

➢ Used for observation of hydrogen sulfide gas production (there will be presence of black precipitate), indole
production (can be observed by the appearance of red or pink ring formation) and motility (presence of turbidity or
spread of colonies along the side of inoculation)
❖ Methyl Red (MR)
➢ Used for the detection of bacterial pathogen that metabolize glucose using the Mixed Acid pathway
▪ Add methyl red as reagent

❖ Voges-Proskauer (VP)
➢ Used for the detection of bacterial pathogen that metabolizes glucose using the Butylene Glycol Pathway
▪ Add alpha-naptol as reagent
➢ Note: Positive MR = Negative VP or Negative MR = Positive VP
(to determine what pathway of glucose metabolism)
❖ Simmon Citrate Agar (SCA)
➢ Used for the detection of bacterial pathogen that can utilize citrate as a sole source of carbon ▪ Green slanted media
(original color)
▪ Positive result (blue)

❖ Triple Sugar Ion Agar (TSI)

➢ Used for the determination of bacterial pathogen’s ability to ferment glucose, sucrose or lactose. It can also detect sulfide
production (blackening of the agar) and gas production (+ result = bubbles, cracks or spaces on the culture media)

a. Red/ red (no sugar

fermentation) b.
Control
c. Red/ yellow (Glucose
fermented but lactose and
sucrose not fermented)
d. Yellow/ yellow (Glucose
fermented. Lactose and/or
sucrose fermented)
e. Red/ yellow with H2S