title: A selective medium for Fusobacterium spp.
abstract: A new selective medium (JVN) for the isolation of Fusobacterium spp. from clinical material is described. The medium incorporates josamycin, vancomycin and norfloxacin (at 3, 4 and 1 microgram/ml, respectively) as the selective agents, plus 5% defibrinated horse blood in Fastidious Anaerobe Agar Base (Lab M). This formula allowed luxuriant growth of all 82 strains (eight recognized species) of fusobacteria tested, while significantly inhibiting 51/51 (100%) strains of facultative anaerobes and 45/51 (88%) strains of other obligate anaerobes. JVN medium allowed the successful isolation of strains of Fusobacterium naviforme, F. nucleatum and F. necrophorum from the gingivae of 9/16 healthy volunteers, and strains of F. varium and F. mortiferum from faecal suspensions seeded with these organisms.
authors.affiliation: Anaerobe Reference Unit, Public Health Laboratory, Luton, UK.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Brazier
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Citron
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D003470:Culture Media; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005673:Fusobacterium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005881:Gingiva / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D015570:Josamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D009643:Norfloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D004917:Erythromycin; D014640:Vancomycin; D015570:Josamycin; D009643:Norfloxacin