CHROMagar™ MH Orientation

CHROMagar™ MH Orientation is a chromogenic Mueller Hinton agar designed to combine bacterial identification with antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) on a single plate. This advanced medium significantly reduces the time to results by allowing same-day identification and susceptibility testing, making it a valuable tool in clinical microbiology for managing infectious diseases.

Key Features

1. 2-in-1 Functionality:
   • Combines chromogenic bacterial identification with AST directly on the primary culture plate.
   • Eliminates the need for separate identification and susceptibility testing workflows.
2. Fast Results:
   • Results for many microorganisms and antibiotics can be obtained within 24 hours, significantly faster than traditional protocols that require up to 48 hours.
3. Ease of Use:
   • Chromogenic reactions provide clear and distinct colony colors, simplifying plate reading and interpretation of results.
   • Inhibition zones and diameters for susceptibility testing are clearly visible.
4. Validated Performance:
   • Proven to work effectively with over 20 classical antimicrobial agents and E-test strips, ensuring reliable and reproducible results.

Applications

1. Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP):
   • Direct plating of respiratory samples from ICU patients to obtain rapid identification and susceptibility results.
   • Enables faster optimization of empirical therapy, improving patient outcomes in nosocomial infections.
2. Urinary Tract Infections (UTI):
   • Ideal for urine samples with bacterial counts of 10³–10⁵ CFU/mL.
   • Allows rapid confirmation of empirical therapy or aids in adjusting the treatment plan for both mono- and polymicrobial infections.
3. General Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing:
   • Effective for a broad range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
   • Accelerates clinical decision-making by providing same-day results.

How It Works

1. Sample Inoculation:
   • Respiratory, urine, or other clinical samples are spread directly onto the CHROMagar™ MH Orientation plate.
2. Incubation:
   • Plates are incubated overnight at 35–37°C under aerobic conditions.
3. Result Interpretation:
   • Chromogenic reactions allow visual identification of bacterial species.
   • Inhibition zones around antimicrobial agents (e.g., E-test strips) provide susceptibility results.

Advantages

1. Time-Saving:
   • Combines bacterial identification and AST on a single plate, delivering actionable results within 24 hours.
2. Improved Therapy Outcomes:
   • Rapid results help confirm or adjust empirical therapy, reducing morbidity and mortality in conditions like VAP and UTI.
3. User-Friendly:
   • Chromogenic reactions simplify interpretation, reducing the likelihood of errors.
4. Broad Applicability:
   • Suitable for a wide range of bacterial infections and antimicrobial agents.

Limitations

• Further confirmatory testing or molecular diagnostics may be required for definitive identification or resistance mechanism detection.
• Some fastidious organisms may not grow optimally on this medium.

References

1. Engelhardt A. et al., Rapid E-test® MIC Testing Using CHROMagar™ And Mueller Hinton Agar For Gram-Positive And Gram-Negative Aerobes - ECCMID 2008.
2. Cercenado E. et al., Evaluation of Direct E-test on Lower Respiratory Tract Samples Using a Chromogenic Agar Medium: A Rapid Procedure for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing - ECCMID 2009.

Why Choose CHROMagar™ MH Orientation?

• Efficiency: Combines two essential microbiological workflows (identification and AST) into one, saving time and resources.
• Reliability: Delivers high-quality results validated for over 20 antibiotics.
• Impact: Helps optimize treatment regimens quickly, particularly for critically ill patients.

CHROMagar™ MH Orientation is a game-changing medium for clinical laboratories, enhancing diagnostic speed and precision in antimicrobial resistance management.

Composition