Developed by French dermatologist Raymond J.A. Sabouraud in the late 1800’s primarily for the recovery of dermatophytes.  Traditionally this media (despite being a selective media) did not contain antibiotics and relied on a low pH (5.6) for the inhibition of bacterial growth, however antibiotics are commonly used with SDA in current clinical use. Sabouraud’s agar is sufficient for the recovery of dermatophytes from cutaneous samples and yeasts from vaginal cultures. Not recommended as a primary isolation medium because it is insufficiently rich to recover certain fastidious pathogenic species, particularly most of the dimorphic fungi. Sabouraud’s dextrose agar (2%) is most […]

An enriched medium containing chloramphenicol (while some IMA plates also contain gentamicin) to prevent the growth of bacteria – and are recommended for isolation of fungi from materials having an extensive flora of other fungi or bacteria. IMA supports the growth of a wide range of fungi and due to the presence of antibiotics inhibits the growth of most bacteria more effectively than other fungal culture media (Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA)).  In prior studies IMA has been found to support the growth of four times more fungal isolates when compared to SDA [1].  There are exceptions to this “rule” and Rhodotorula spp. (growth […]

Developed by E.C. Rosenow and then modified by R.L. Hayden this media uses dehydrated infusions of porcine brain and heart tissue for the recovery of a wide variety of fastidious organisms, including bacteria, yeast and moulds. May be infused with antibiotics to inhibit the growth of most bacteria and used primarily for the recovery of saprophytic or dimorphic fungi. BHI agar can be purchased from a variety of commercial sources or for laboratories needing large number of plates is often made “in-house”. Recipe/Protocol Per liter of medium: Brain Heart Infusion 8 g Peptic Digest of Animal Tissue 5 g Pancreatic […]