What is Culture medium for Corynebacterium diphtheriae? and explain in detail?
The usual media employed for cultivation of the diphtheria bacillus are Loeffler's serum slope and tellurite blood agar. Diphtheria bacilli grow on Loeffler's serum slope very rapidly and colonies can be seen in 6-8 hrs. Colonies are small, circular white opaque discs but enlarge on continued incubation and may acquire a distinct yellow tint. Mac Conkey agar is a culture medium designed to grow Gram-negative bacteria and differentiate them for lactose fermentation. Sabouraud agar is a type of agar containing peptones. It is used to cultivate dermatophytes and other types of fungi. Lowenstein Jensen medium is used for isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis or other mycobacteria. Ref: Textbook of Microbiology Ananthanarayan & Panicker's, 8th Ed, page 233.