Chromogenic Agar Media in the Clinical, Food, and Environmental Testing Arenas, Part II

In Part I of this two-part article, the author discussed two of the original product formulations of chromogenic agar medium used in the clinical microbiology laboratory for the recovery of Candida spp. and Enterobacteriaceae. CHROMagar Candida and CHROMagar Orientation media have been shown to have great value in the rapid recovery and identification of the various Candida yeast species and routine gram-negative bacilli from patient clinical specimens. In Part II, the article continues the discussion of chromogenic agar medium for the specific recovery of bacteria that are identifiable to the genus and species levels, notably, perhaps one of the most intensely sought after microorganisms of the last two decades – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, the article discusses further application of the chromogenic agar medium for environmental recovery and identification from soils, waters, and various food sources. Lastly, the article discusses the performance expectations for chromogenic agar medium by implementation of verification and validation procedures in the clinical microbiology laboratory.