Description

Baird-Parker Agar: Your Solution for Staphylococci Isolation

Baird-Parker Agar is a highly effective medium specifically designed for the selective isolation and enumeration of coagulase-positive staphylococci, particularly Staphylococcus aureus. This granular product plays a crucial role in microbiological testing, providing a reliable method to detect and quantify these bacteria in various samples, making it essential for laboratories focused on food safety and clinical diagnostics.

Key Ingredients and Their Functions

The formulation of Baird-Parker Agar includes vital components that enhance the growth of target organisms. Each ingredient has a specific purpose:

• Pancreatic Digest of Casein (10.0 g/L): Serves as a rich source of nitrogen and essential growth nutrients.
• Beef Extract (5.0 g/L): Provides additional flavor and nutrients, promoting robust microbial growth.
• Yeast Extract (1.0 g/L): Supplies vitamins and minerals necessary for cell metabolism.
• Sodium Pyruvate (10.0 g/L) and Glycine (12.0 g/L): These compounds stimulate the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, ensuring effective colony formation.
• Lithium Chloride (5.0 g/L): Acts as a selective agent, inhibiting the growth of non-target bacteria.
• Agar (15.0 g/L): Provides a solid medium for colony development.

When prepared, the medium presents a yellowish opaque gel, ideal for visualizing bacterial colonies. It enables the identification of Staphylococcus aureus colonies which appear dark gray to black due to tellurite reduction.

Preparation and Storage Guidelines

To prepare your Baird-Parker Agar, suspend 58.0 g of the dehydrated medium in 950 mL of deionized or distilled water. After thorough mixing, heat the solution, boiling for one minute. Sterilization occurs at 121°C (15 lbs) for 15 minutes. Once cooled to 45-50°C, add 10 mL of 1% potassium tellurite solution and 50 mL of sterile egg yolk suspension. This preparation not only aids in identifying lecithinase production but also enhances lipase activity detection.

Baird-Parker Agar should be stored tightly capped in its original container at temperatures between 5-30°C. The dehydrated medium boasts a shelf life of 3 years from the manufacturing date, while prepared medium can be refrigerated at 2-8°C for optimal performance.

Quality Control Measures

For quality assurance, inoculate the prepared agar and incubate at 36±1°C for 45-48 hours. This ensures the medium’s effectiveness and reliability for isolating Staphylococcus aureus. The presence of dark colonies confirms the successful growth of target organisms, while clear zones around the colonies indicate lecithinase activity.

Conclusion

In summary, Baird-Parker Agar is an indispensable tool for laboratories aiming to isolate and enumerate Staphylococcus aureus effectively. Its carefully selected ingredients, straightforward preparation process, and quality control measures ensure reliable results. Enhance your microbiological testing capabilities with Baird-Parker Agar today, and safeguard food safety and public health through precise bacterial detection.

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