Sabouraud Agar Glucose

Intended Use

Recommended for cultivation of yeasts, moulds and aciduric microorganisms.

Composition**

Final pH ( at 25°C): 5.6±0.2

**Formula adjusted, standardized to suit performance parameters

# Equivalent to Peptone from Casein

## Equivalent to Peptone from Meat

Directions

Suspend 65 grams in 1000 ml purified / distilled water. Heat to boiling to dissolve the medium completely. Sterilize by autoclaving at 15 lbs pressure (121°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to 45-50°C. Mix well and pour into sterile Petri plates.

Principle And Interpretation

Sabouraud Agar Glucose 4% is a modification of Sabouraud Dextrose Agar which is described by Sabouraud (1) for the cultivation of fungi (yeasts, moulds), particularly useful for the fungi associated with skin infections. This medium is also employed to determine microbial contamination in food, cosmetics, and clinical specimens (2).

Casitose and HM peptone provides nitrogenous, carbonaceous compounds, long chain amino acids, vitamins and other essential growth nutrients. D-Glucose provides an energy source. High glucose concentration and low pH favours fungal growth and inhibits contaminating bacteria from test samples (3).

Some pathogenic fungi may produce infective spores which are easily dispersed in air, so examination should be carried out in safety cabinet. For heavily contaminated samples, the plate must be supplemented with inhibitory agents for inhibiting bacterial growth with lower pH.

Type of specimen

Clinical samples - skin scrapings; Food samples

Specimen Collection and Handling

For clinical samples follow appropriate techniques for handling specimens as per established guidelines (4,5). For food samples, follow appropriate techniques for sample collection and processing as per guidelines (6). After use, contaminated materials must be sterilized by autoclaving before discarding.

Warning and Precautions

In Vitro diagnostic Use. For professional use only. Read the label before opening the container. Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/ face protection. Follow good microbiological lab practices while handling specimens and culture. Standard precautions as per established guidelines should be followed while handling clinical specimens. Safety guidelines may be referred in individual safety data sheets.

Limitations

1. Individual organisms differ in their growth requirement and may show variable growth patterns on the medium.
2. Each lot of the medium has been tested for the organisms specified on the COA. It is recommended to users to validate the medium for any specific microorganism other than mentioned in the COA based on the user’s unique requirement.
3. Some pathogenic fungi may take longer incubation time upto 5 days.
4. Further biochemical and serological tests must be carried out for complete identification.

Performance and Evaluation

Performance of the medium is expected when used as per the direction on the label within the expiry period when stored at recommended temperature.

Quality Control

Appearance: Cream to yellow homogeneous free flowing powder

Gelling: Firm, comparable with 1.5% Agar gel

Colour and Clarity of prepared medium: Light amber coloured clear to slightly opalescent gel forms in Petri plates

Reaction: Reaction of 6.5% w/v aqueous solution at 25°C. pH : 5.6±0.2

pH: 5.40-5.80

Cultural Response: Cultural characteristics observed after an incubation at 25-30°C for 48- 72 hours

Key : (*) Corresponding WDCM numbers.

(#) - Formerly known as Aspergillus niger

Storage and Shelf Life

Store between 10-30°C in a tightly closed container and the prepared medium at 20-30°C. Use before expiry date on the label. On opening, product should be properly stored dry, after tightly capping the bottle in order to prevent lump formation due to the hygroscopic nature of the product. Improper storage of the product may lead to lump formation. Store in dry ventilated area protected from extremes of temperature and sources of ignition. Seal the container tightly after use. Product performance is best if used within stated expiry period.

Disposal

User must ensure safe disposal by autoclaving and/or incineration of used or unusable preparations of this product. Follow established laboratory procedures in disposing of infectious materials and material that comes into contact with clinical sample must be decontaminated and disposed of in accordance with current laboratory techniques (4,5).

Reference

1. Sabouraud K., 1892, Ann. Dermatol. Syphilol, 3:1061.
2. Bacteriological Analytical Manual, 8th Edition, Revision A, 1998. AOAC, Washington D.C.
3. Murray PR, Baren EJ, Jorgensen JH, Pfaller MA, Yolken RH (editors) 2003, Manual of clinical Microbiology, 8th ed., ASM, Washington, D.C.
4. Isenberg, H.D. Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook 2nd Edition.
5. Jorgensen, J.H., Pfaller, M.A., Carroll, K.C., Funke, G., Landry, M.L., Richter, S.S and Warnock., D.W. (2015) Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 11th Edition. Vol. 1.
6. Salfinger Y., and Tortorello M.L. Fifth (Ed.), 2015, Compendium of Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods, 5th Ed., American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C.