Contribution towards developing a new semi-selective medium for Streptococcus anginosus group.
The aim of this study was to develop a new selective medium for isolation of Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG) strains, by adding sulphamethazine and aztreonam as selective agents at Mitis-Salivarius agar (MSA), the medium commonly used for recovery of oral streptococci from oral samples.


METHODS
The evaluation of Mitis-Salivarius--sulphamethazine--aztreonam agar (MSSAA) for SAG selectivity was performed by testing the growth of type strains and laboratory-stored clinical isolates of different oral streptococcal species on this medium and also by investigating the SAG recovery on MSSAA in comparison with MSA and the growth inhibition of non-SAG strains from 100 saliva and 11 pus samples (collected from healthy young subjects and from paediatric patients with upper respiratory tract infections, respectively) on MSSAA.


RESULTS
The same SAG recovery rate was obtained on both MSSAA and MSA, while non-SAG strains failed to grow on the novel medium, except for enterococci. The results of the present study have indicated that MSSAA is a suitable medium for selecting SAG isolates from clinical specimens.
Băncescu
Gabriela
G
Department of Microbiology, School of Dentistry, "C. Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucureşti.
Băncescu
A
A
Neagu
Amalia-Sofia
AS
Radu-Popescu
Manuela
M
Bărbuceanu
Stefania-Felicia
SF
D000362:Agar; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001398:Aztreonam / Q000494:pharmacology; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D003470:Culture Media; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D034366:Streptococcus anginosus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D034364:Streptococcus milleri Group / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013418:Sulfamethazine / Q000494:pharmacology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003470:Culture Media; D004338:Drug Combinations; D013418:Sulfamethazine; D000362:Agar; D001398:Aztreonam