Specifity of selected nutrient media for Enterococcus species

In the field of human medicine in recent years, several strains of the Ente rococcus species have been gaining significance as facultative pathogenic a gents. For diagnostic purpose the specifity for Enteroccoccus spezies of th ree different media were tested with 11 selected Enterococci spp., 5 Strept ococcus spp, and 3 Lactobacillus spp.. The tested media were: Agar accordin g to Slanetz and Bartley, the Enterococcosel-Agar and the Citrat-Azid-Tween -Carbonat-Agar (CATC-Agar). CATC-Agar showed compared to the other tested m edia the highest specifity for Enterococci after incubation of 24h because the growth of Lactobacillus spp. and Streptococcus sop. were suppressed whi le Enterococci showed up as bright red or rosa formazan coloured colonies.