MacConkey Sorbitol Agar (Dehydrated)

Selectively detect sorbitol-negative Escherichia coli O157:H7 (VTEC) with Thermo Scientific™ Remel™ MacConkey Sorbitol Agar (Dehydrated). This serotype of E. coli produces a verotoxin and causes haemorrhagic colitis outbreaks¹ and is indistinguishable on the routine isolation media from those of non-VTEC E.coli. In 1986, March and Ratnam introduced MacConkeys Agar with sorbitol for the isolation of this serotype as unlike other serotypes VTEC does not ferment sorbitol². Haldane et al. since then implemented the use of this medium as the primary isolation medium³.

Escherichia coli O157 is recognized as a cause of haemorrhagic colitis, an illness characterized by bloody diarrhoea and severe abdominal pain, and haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and as such, is a significant human pathogen.

Selectively detect sorbitol-negative Escherichia coli O157:H7 (VTEC) with MacConkey Sorbitol Agar.

• Ease of Differentiation: Medium contains D-sorbitol; sorbitol negative strain forms colorless colonies while other E. coli strains ferment sorbitol and form pink colonies.
• Recommended as a simple, inexpensive, rapid and reliable means of screening for E. coli O157

This medium is used for qualitative procedures. This medium contains gelatin, casein and meat peptones that provides nitrogen, amino acids and peptides essential for bacterial growth. Bile salts and crystal violet are selective agents which inhibit gram-positive organisms. Lactose is substituted with D-sorbitol. Vertoxin producing strains of E.coli ferment lactose but not sorbitol and form colorless colonies.

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