Bismuth sulfite agar is a type of agar media used to isolate Salmonella species. It uses glucose as a primary source of carbon. Bismuth and brilliant green (dye) both inhibit gram-positive growth. Bismuth sulfite agar tests the ability to use ferrous sulfate and convert it to hydrogen sulfide.
Bismuth sulfite agar typically contains (w/v):
1.6% bismuth sulfite Bi2(SO3)3 1.0% pancreatic digest of casein 1.0% pancreatic digest of animal tissue 1.0% beef extract 1.0% glucose 0.8% dibasic sodium phosphate 0.06% ferrous sulfate • 7 water pH adjusted to 7.7 at 25 °C
This medium is boiled for sterility, not autoclaved.
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