Development of a Selective Enterococcus Medium Based on Manganese Ion Deficiency, Sodium Azide, and Alkaline pH

Rogosa broth, without its salt supplement and dissolved in deionized water, was adapted for the selective isolation and enumeration of enterococci. This medium supported good growth of enterococci, but it suppressed growth of other lactic acid bacteria. The sensitivity and specificity of the medium were tested after addition of various increasing concentrations of NaN(3) against known strains of enterococci and other bacteria. Many strains of Streptococcus faecium showed low azide tolerance; optimal growth was obtained at a concentration of 0.01% NaN(3), which totally or partially inhibited unrelated species of lactic acid bacteria. The selectivity of the medium was further increased by pH adjustment to 9.6. Carbonate and Tween 80 were added to overcome partial inhibition of enterococcal growth by the new combination of selective conditions. The final medium was evaluated in agar form in isolations from human and animal feces, polluted water, meat, and dairy products. Counts were obtained after 16 to 17 h of incubation at 37 C. The isolates satisfactorily conformed to the group characteristics of enterococci.     

Selective Medium for Moraxella nonliquefaciens

A medium is described which selectively inhibits most bacteria from the normal flora of the conjunctiva, the lid-margin, and the upper respiratory tract but permits growth of Moraxella nonliquefaciens, M. liquefaciens, and the less fastidious strains of M. lacunata. The selective conditions are obtained with thiostrepton, tyrothricin, and sodium nalidixinate as inhibitors. Incubation under increased CO(2) pressure increased the number of primary isolations. M. nonliquefaciens was isolated on the selective medium twice as many times as on other media.     

Polymyxin-Coagulase-Deoxyribonuclease-Agar: a Selective Isolation Medium for Staphylococcus aureus

Fibrin halos developed around coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus colonies, and deoxyribonuclease production was detected by using a developing solution containing 1 mg of methyl green per ml.     

Gentamicin Blood Agar Used as a General-Purpose Selective Medium

The potential value of a blood agar medium containing a final concentration of 5.5 mug of gentamicin per ml was assessed in a diagnostic laboratory over an 8-week period. The medium gave increased isolation rates of beta-hemolytic streptococci, other streptococci, Bacteroides, clostridia, and yeasts. It also proved valuable in detecting gentamicin-resistant gram-negative bacilli when these were present in heavy mixed culture.     

Biohybrid Polymer-Antimicrobial Peptide Medium against Enterococcus faecalis

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are conserved evolutionary components of the innate immune system that are being tested as alternatives to antibiotics. Slow release of AMPs using biodegradable polymers can be advantageous in maintaining high peptide levels for topical treatment, especially in the oral environment in which dosage retention is challenged by drug dilution with saliva flow and by drug inactivation by salivary enzymatic activity. Enterococcus faecalis is a multidrug resistant nosocomial pathogen and a persistent pathogen in root canal infections. In this study, four ultra-short lipopeptides (C16-KGGK, C16-KLLK, C16-KAAK and C16-KKK) and an amphipathic α-helical antimicrobial peptide (Amp-1D) were tested against E. faecalis. The antibacterial effect was determined against planktonic bacteria and bacteria grown in biofilm. Of the five tested AMPs, C16-KGGK was the most effective. Next C16-KGGK was formulated with one of two polymers poly (lactic acid co castor oil) (DLLA) or ricinoleic acid-based poly (ester-anhydride) P(SA-RA). Peptide-synthetic polymer conjugates, also referred to as biohybrid mediums were tested for antibacterial activity against E. faecalis grown in suspension and in biofilms. The new formulations exhibited strong and improved anti- E. faecalis activity.     

Development of a New Selective Plating Medium for Rhodococcus equi

A new selective plating medium for Rhodococcus equi containing ceftazidime (20 mg/l) and novobiocin (25 mg/l) on a Mueller-Hinton agar basis is described. It proved to be less inhibitory for R. equi than selective plating media devised earlier and grew only very few other nocardioform bacteria.     

A Selective Medium for Mycoplasma Suipneumoniae

The isolation of Mycoplasma suipneumoniae (M. snip.) has not hitherto been possible in broth culture if the material also harboured Mycoplasma hyorhinis (M. hyor.), since the latter organism would outgrow M. suip. The present paper reports an effort to solve this problem.     

Selective Medium for Growth of Rhizobium

A new medium has been developed for selectively isolating strains of Rhizobium from soil.     

Selective Medium for the Isolation of Prototheca

A medium was devised which permitted the selective isolation of Prototheca spp. from nature.     

Acetamide Agar Medium Selective for Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A synthetic base of acetamide and salts in agar permitted isolation of small numbers of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from swarming Proteus and other gram-negative species.     

Rifampin-Blood-Agar as a Selective Medium for the Isolation of Certain Anaerobic Bacteria

A selective medium which allows detection of relatively small numbers of Fusobacterium varium in fecal specimens is described. Blood-agar containing 50 mug of rifampin per ml inhibits the growth of many species of Bacteriodes and of F. fusi-forme/nucleatum but allows good growth of F. varium and most strains of F. mortiferum. Quantitative cultures of 11 fecal specimens were done on rifampin and other selective and nonselective media. F. varium was recovered in counts of 10(6) and 10(7) per gram from two specimens on rifampin only. A third specimen yielded 10(10)F. varium on several media, including rifampin. Some Eubacterium and Clostridium species also grew on rifampin, and these ordinarily were distinguished from the Fusobacterium by colony morphology. This medium is of value in fecal flora studies and should be useful with other kinds of specimens where mixtures of organisms are common.     

Selective Medium for Mosquito-Pathogenic Strains of Bacillus sphaericus

A selective medium (BATS), which contains arginine as the sole carbon and nitrogen source and which also contains streptomycin, allowed growth of 18 mosquito-pathogenic strains of Bacillus sphaericus. It inhibited the growth of 68% of the nonpathogenic B. sphaericus strains tested as well as other Bacillus spp. and aquatic bacteria.     

Selective Medium for Hydrogen Sulfide Production by Salmonellae

Triple Sugar Iron Agar does not reveal hydrogen sulfide production by all Salmonella organisms nor does it permit clear-cut separation of those nonsalmonellae which produce H(2)S. Numerous media with varied combinations of nutrients, inhibitors, selective agents, pH levels, and metal salts were tested for H(2)S production of cultures of Salmonella, Citrobacter, Edwardsiella, Arizona, Proteus, Providencia, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter. An agar medium has been devised which promotes growth and H(2)S production (generally within 6 hr) by Salmonella, Arizona, and Edwardsiella but which inhibits hydrogen sulfide production or growth of all other gram-negative organisms tested (including Citrobacter) or inhibits both. The use of this medium should facilitate the selection and identification of Salmonella.     

A New Selective Medium for Bifidobacterium spp.

A new selective antibiotic-free medium for Bifidobacterium spp. is defined. This medium has lactulose as the main carbon source and includes methylene blue, propionic acid, and lithium chloride as inhibitors of some related bacterial species. The low pH of the medium contributes to the inhibition of the growth of Enterobacteriaceae. This new selective medium has a simple composition, and the level of recovery it yields is similar to those yielded by nonselective media for Bifidobacterium strains. It could thus be used for routine analysis in environmental or food microbiology.     

An Improved Selective Medium for Isolating Fluorescent Pseudomonads

S ummary . The addition of chloramphenicol (5–12·5 μg/ml) to novobiocin-penicillin-cycloheximide (NPC) medium improved the selectivity of this medium for counting and isolating fluorescent pseudomonads from sources in which they form a minor component of the microflora.     

Selective Medium for Isolating Phanerochaete chrysosporium from Soil

A selective medium was developed that is capable of isolating Phanerochaete chrysosporium from soil. This medium contains 15 ppm of benomyl (15 μg g⁻¹) and 550 ppm of streptomycin sulfate in 2% malt agar and is held at 39°C after inoculation. P. chrysosporium was isolated from three nonsterile forest soils to which the fungus had been added. These soils contained large microbial populations.