Sorbitol MacConkey Agar with Cefixime Tellurite

Efficiently isolate pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 from clinical samples with Thermo Scientific™ Sorbitol MacConkey Agar with Cefixime Tellurite. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is recognised as a cause of haemorrhagic colitis, an illness characterized by bloody diarrhoea and severe abdominal pain, and haemolytic uraemic syndrome, and, as such, it is a significant human pathogen.

The formulation of Sorbitol MacConkey Agar with Cefixime Tellurite is identical to MacConkey Agar No.3, except that lactose has been replaced with sorbitol. E. coli O157:H7 does not ferment sorbitol and, therefore, produces colorless colonies. In contrast, most E. coli strains ferment sorbitol and form pink colonies. The addition of cefixime and tellurite significantly reduces the number of sorbitol non-fermenters that need to be screened during the attempted isolation of E. coli O157:H7.

The efficiency of Sorbitol MacConkey Agar has been confirmed by March and Ratnam¹. These workers reported a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 85% and recommended the medium as a simple, inexpensive, rapid and reliable means of screening for E. coli O157.

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