A Note on the Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by a Modification of Brilliant Green Agar for Improved Salmonella Isolation

A strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa having colonies that resemble those of salmonellas on brilliant green agar is almost totally inhibited by the addition of 1.0 mg/ml of sulphacetamide to the medium. Low numbers of Ps. aeruginosa grew equally well on brilliant green and nutrient agar, but 10⁶–10⁷ organisms were needed before any growth appeared on the medium containing sulphacetamide. During 12 months of routine use of the sulphacetamide medium, involving almost 3000 plates, Ps. aeruginosa has been isolated as a contaminant only once. Forty-seven salmonella serotypes were grown on the sulphacetamide brilliant green agar in the same period.