MACCONKEY AGAR W/ 0.15% BILE SALTS, CV AND NACL (USP/EP/BP/JP/IP)

MacConkey Agar with 0.15% Bile Salts, CV and NaCl is a selective and differential plating medium used for the selection and subculture of E. coli in accordance with harmonized USP/EP/BP/JP/IP methodology. It can also be used for isolation and identification of Gram-negative bacteria in clinical, dairy, food, water, pharmaceutical and industrial samples. The medium is also recommended for the isolation of Enterobacteriaceae and other related enteric Gram negative bacilli and is recommended for microbial limit testing.
Pancreatic digest of gelatin provides nitrogenous nutrients and vitamins for the growth of the microbes. The fermentable carbohydrate is lactose monohydrate and acid production is detected by neutral red, a visible colour reaction. Bile salts and crystal violet give selective action by inhibiting many Gram-positive bacteria and favouring Gram-negative organisms. Sodium chloride maintains osmotic balance, while agar provides the solidifying matrix.
Lactose-fermenting organisms produce acid and form red or pink colonies with sometimes a surrounding zone of precipitated bile. Salmonella and Shigella are non-lactose fermenters and are usually colourless and transparent. It is also suitable for food, water and pharmaceutical microbiological testing applications.

Optimized for selective cultivation of yeasts and moulds, particularly dermatophytic fungi associated with skin and scalp lesions, while chloramphenicol helps suppress bacterial growth.