This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Doern, G V Articles by Brogden-Torres, B Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Doern, G V Articles by Brogden-Torres, B

Optimum use of selective plated media in primary processing of respiratory tract specimens from patients with cystic fibrosis.

Division of Clinical Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester 01655.

ABSTRACT

A total of 258 respiratory tract specimens from patients with cystic fibrosis were inoculated onto nine different plated media, and the rates of recovery of potential pathogens were compared. Media included sheep blood agar, enriched chocolate agar, MacConkey agar for gram-negative bacilli, chocolate agar containing bacitracin for Haemophilus spp., bromcresol green agar for yeasts, cetrimide agar for Pseudomonas spp., sheep blood agar containing colistin and nalidixic acid for gram-positive cocci, mannitol salt agar for Staphylococcus aureus, and oxidation-fermentation agar containing 300 U of polymyxin B per ml and 2 U of bacitracin per ml (OF-PBL medium) for Pseudomonas cepacia. With two exceptions, all of these media proved useful in recovering potential pathogens from respiratory tract specimens from patients with cystic fibrosis. The two exceptions were cetrimide agar and colistin-nalidixic acid-supplemented sheep blood agar, which were found to be superfluous. In addition, the results of this study further delineated the prevalence of selected bacteria and fungi in respiratory tract secretions from patients with cystic fibrosis. In rank order of frequency of isolation, we recovered isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Candida albicans, S. aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, molds, members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, yeasts other than Candida albicans, miscellaneous gram-negative bacilli, beta-hemolytic streptococci, P. cepacia, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Ishizawa, K., Suzuki, T., Yamaya, M., Jia, Y. X., Kobayashi, S., Ida, S., Kubo, H., Sekizawa, K., Sasaki, H. (2005). Erythromycin increases bactericidal activity of surface liquid in human airway epithelial cells. Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 289: L565-L573 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Shreve, M. R., Butler, S., Kaplowitz, H. J., Rabin, H. R., Stokes, D., Light, M., Regelmann, W. E., Investigators for the Epidemiologic Study of Cysti, (1999). Impact of Microbiology Practice on Cumulative Prevalence of Respiratory Tract Bacteria in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37: 753-757 [Abstract] [Full Text]