Cellobiose Arginine Lysine HiVeg™ Broth (CAL HiVeg™ Broth)

Principle And Interpretation

Yersinia enterocolitica is a significant invasive enteric pathogen belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, which causes several well-recognized diseases especially in younger persons and several uncommon post-infection syndrome. Enterocolitis caused by Y.enterocolitica is characterized by diarrhea, low fever and abdominal pain. CAL Broth used for selective isolation of Y.enterocolitica was originally formulated by Dudley and Shotts (1). CAL Broth is a differential medium as it differentiates Yersinia on the basis of cellobiose fermentation and lysine or arginine decarboxylation. As the organism is biochemically similar to other Enterobacteriaceae. CAL Broth is used for the enumeration of Y.enterocolitica from water and other liquid specimens (2). Yeast extract provides essential nutrients to the organisms. Cellobiose is the fermentable carbohydrate. Sodium chloride maintains the osmotic equilibrium. Cellobiose Arginine Lysine HiVeg™ Broth (CAL HiVeg™ Broth) is prepared by using vegetable peptones in place of animal based peptones which make the media free of BSE/TSE risks. Synthetic detergent No. III makes the medium selective by inhibiting the accompanying gram-positive bacteria, which may cause contamination during cultivation. L-arginine and L-lysine are the amino acids, decarboxylation of which makes the medium differential. Neutral red is the indicator, which turns red under acidic conditions.s (3).