Oxoid Blood Agar Base, 500G

The Thermo Scientific™ Oxoid™ Blood Agar Base (Dehydrated) is a versatile, nonselective medium designed to support the growth of a wide variety of pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms. When used without enrichments, it serves as a general-purpose medium or for short-term maintenance of stock cultures. With the addition of blood, serum, or other supplements, it becomes suitable for cultivating fastidious organisms and for determining hemolytic reactions, a critical diagnostic criterion for many bacteria.

Key Features

1. Versatile Application:
   • General-purpose basal medium for maintaining stock cultures or growing a wide variety of bacteria.
   • Enhanced with blood, it supports hemolysis testing and fastidious organism growth.
2. Highly Nutritious:
   • Provides essential nutrients for robust bacterial growth.
3. Customizable:
   • Can be enriched with various additives like serum or phenolphthalein phosphate for specific applications.
4. Diagnostic Utility:
   • With blood, it facilitates the identification of hemolytic reactions (e.g., alpha, beta, gamma hemolysis).
5. Cost-Effective:
   • High yield of 12.5L per 500g, suitable for large-scale testing and routine laboratory use.

Applications

1. Clinical Microbiology

• Isolation and identification of pathogens from clinical specimens, such as:
  • CSF
  • Pus and wound swabs
  • Sputum
  • Eye, nose, throat, and ear swabs
• Diagnostic testing for bacterial infections, aiding in treatment determination.

2. Food and Environmental Microbiology

• Detection of Clostridium perfringens in food samples.
• Evaluation of surface contamination on equipment or carcasses.

3. Research and Industrial Microbiology

• Studying Escherichia coli and other bacteria.
• Investigating phages of Clostridium perfringens.
• Determining the salinity range of growth for marine flavobacteria.

Specifications

Preparation Instructions

1. Suspend: Suspend 40g of Blood Agar Base in 1 liter of distilled water.
2. Mix and Heat: Heat with frequent agitation to dissolve the powder completely.
3. Sterilize: Autoclave at 121°C for 15 minutes.
4. Enrich:
   • For hemolytic studies: Add 5–10% sterile defibrinated blood.
   • For specific applications: Add appropriate supplements like serum or phenolphthalein phosphate.
5. Dispense: Pour into sterile Petri dishes and allow to solidify.

Advantages

1. Highly Nutritious: Supports growth of a wide range of organisms, including fastidious bacteria.
2. Customizable: Adaptable for specific diagnostic or research purposes with added enrichments.
3. Diagnostic Utility: Facilitates hemolytic testing for clinical and research laboratories.
4. Reliable and Cost-Effective: High yield and consistent performance make it ideal for routine use.
5. Broad Application Range: Suitable for clinical, food, environmental, and research microbiology.

Diagnostic Features

Storage and Stability

• Storage: Store the dehydrated medium at 10–30°C in a dry environment.
• Shelf Life: Refer to product label for expiration date.

Packaging

• Product: Blood Agar Base (Dehydrated)
• Catalog Numbers: CM0055B (500g) .
• Yield: 12.5L per 500g.

References

1. Alper T. and Gillies N.E. (1960). J. Gen. Microbiol., 22: 113-128.
2. Hodgkins B. and Alper T. (1963). J. Gen. Microbiol., 30: 307-315.
3. Williams Smith H. (1959). J. Gen. Microbiol., 21: 622-630.
4. Noble W.C. (1961). J. Path. Bact., 81: 523-526.
5. Noble W.C. (1962). J. Clin. Path., 15: 552-558.
6. Hansen N.H. (1962). J. Appl. Bact., 25: 46-53.
7. Hayes P.R. (1963). J. Gen. Microbiol., 30: 1-19.

The Thermo Scientific™ Oxoid™ Blood Agar Base is a robust, versatile, and adaptable medium that supports the growth of a wide variety of microorganisms. With its ability to be enriched for diagnostic and specialized applications, it is indispensable for clinical, food, environmental, and research microbiology. The medium's high yield and reliability make it a cost-effective choice for laboratories.