Isolation of Legionella spp. from environmental water samples by low-pH treatment and use of a selective medium.
A selective medium was developed and used successfully to isolate Legionella pneumophila and Legionella-like organisms from environmental specimens previously positive by animal inoculation methods. This medium consists of charcoal-yeast extract agar to which have been added cephalothin (4 micrograms/ml), colistin (16 micrograms/ml), vancomycin (0.5 microgram/ml), and cycloheximide (80 micrograms/ml). Pretreating of the environmental water samples with an acid buffer (pH 2.2), followed by plating on the selective medium, improved the rate of recovery of both Legionella and Legionella-like organisms relative to that with direct plating on selective media.
D002512:Cephalothin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003091:Colistin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003470:Culture Media; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007875:Legionella / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014871:Water Microbiology
D003470:Culture Media; D014640:Vancomycin; D003513:Cycloheximide; D002512:Cephalothin; D003091:Colistin