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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #172737
Title: BIFIDOBACTERIUM SELECTIVE ISOLATION AND ENUMERATION FROM CHICKEN CECA BY AN OLIGOSACCHARIDE-ANTIBIOTIC SELECTIVE AGAR MEDIUM

Author
item THITARAM, S - UGA
item Siragusa, Gregory
item Hinton Jr, Arthur

Submitted to: Letters in Applied Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/13/2005
Publication Date: 10/1/2005
Citation: Thitaram, S.N., Siragusa, G.R., Hinton Jr, A. 2005. Bifidobacterium selective isolation and enumeration from chicken ceca by an oligosaccharide-antibiotic selective agar medium. Letters in Applied Microbiology. 41:355-360

Interpretive Summary: The Bifidobacterium spp. an.n.a. bifidobacteria are a desirable group of healthy intestinal bacteria. The bifidobacteria are known to be required for healthy intestinal function for humans and many food animal species including chickens. In order to count the numbers of bifidobacteria in poultry intestinal samples we have developed an improved medium for growing bifidobacteria that relies on agents to block the growth of the non-bifidobacteria organisms that are present in chicken intestinal samples. This medium uses an antibiotic known as mupirocin in combination with human food grade acetic and propionic acids. Together with a commercially available agar we have added these blocking agents to make TOS-AM50 agar and shown it is useful in enumerating bifidobacteria from poultry cecal samples.

Technical Abstract: To determine the efficacy and selectivity of an acidified, antibiotic selective, oligosaccharide-containing media for enumerating Bifidobacterium spp. from chicken ceca samples. Transoligosaccharide propionate agar medium (TOS) was modified by addition of mupriocin (50ug/ml) and glacial acetic acid (1% v/v). The addition of mupirocin and acetic acid did not inhibit the growth of bifidobacteria compared to the control media yet inhibited the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. qallinarum, L. helveticus, and Streptococcus gordonii. The additions of mupriocin (0.050 mg/ml) and glacial acetic acid (1% v/v) to a basal agar termed TOS-AM50, could be potentially used as a selective medium for isolation and enumeration of Bifidobacterium spp. from chicken ceca samples. The development of an intestinal bifodobacteria selective media contributes to the study of probiotics and prebiotics in poultry and potentially other species.