Laboratory studies with a selective Enterococcus medium.

Lancefield group D streptococci are involved with appreciable frequency in a variety of infectious processes. The presumptive recognition of these bacteria on initial culturing of clinical specimens is an objective not attained readily by selective media available in the clinical laboratory. Selective Enterococcus agar was evaluated with emphasis on its ability to sequester enterococci from specimens with many microbial components. In addition, the sensitivity of this new agar was compared with Trypticase Soy agar containing sheep blood and Mitis Salivarius agar. All enterococci isolated from clinical material were classified in accordance with accepted biochemical and immunochemical criteria. The enterococci grew on the new medium as distinctive colonies surrounded by a black zone. Only Listeria monocytogenes presented similar colonial morphology after 48 hr. Most other bacteria did not grow at all or appeared markedly different. The sensitivity of the new agar was of the same order of magnitude as on blood or Mitis-Salivarius agars, but its selectivity was superior.