Culture Media

Culture Media
is a solid or gel based substance facilitating the growth of micro organisms or tissues.

 Culture media can be used in three forms

1. Solid 2. Semisolid 3. Fluid

Basic type of Culture media

Bacterial Culture media.

Viral Culture media. Tissue Culture media.

Common ingredients of Culture media

Peptone Meat extracts Yeast extracts Mineral salts

 Carbohydrates Agar Water

Main types of culture media

Basic Enriched and enrichment Selective Differential Transport

Basic media
a simple media such as nutrient agar or broth do not have special nutritional requirements

 Is often used 1.in preparation of enriched media 2.maintain stock culture of control strains of bacteria 3.For subculturing pathogens from differential or selective media

Enriched media
provide additional nutrients or growth stimulants are required for culture of
1. H. influenzae 2. Pathogenic Neisseria 3. Several Streptococcus species

 are enriched with whole blood lyzed blood serum Extra peptones Special extracts or vitamin

 Examples
1.Blood agar 2.Chocolate agar etc

Enrichment media
Fluid medium that increases the numbers of a pathogen by containing enrichments, and or substances that discourage the multiplication of unwanted bacteria.

Example: Selenite F broth is used an enrichment media for Salmonellae in faeces or urine prior to subculturing on xylose lysine deoxycholate agar or other enteric selective medium.

Selective media
Facilitate the growth of some pathogenic organisms Prevent or slow down the growth of other organisms

 Examples 1. SS agar Facilitate growth of salmonella and shigella Inhibite growth of many faecal commensals (by containing Bile salt)

2.Modified New York City (MNYC) medium Used to isolate N. gonorrhoeae from urethral specimens

3. Butzler medium to isolate Compylobacter spp from faeces

Available for isolating most of important organisms

Differential (indicator) media

contain some indicators, dyes, other substances help to differentiate microorganisms

 Examples
1. TCBS agar

Indicator bromothymol blue Differentiate sucrose fermenting from non fermenting Vibrio spp

 Most, but not all differential media distinguish between bacteria Many culture media are both differential and selective (eg: TCBS agar, MacConkey agar )

Transport media
Mostly a semisolid media Prevent the overgrowth of cimmensals Ensure the survival of aerobic and anaerobic pathogens

 Used to transport the microbial specimens Examples 1.Amies transport medium 2.Cary-Blair medium