Description
AMYL Campylobacter Blood Free Selective Medium Base (AM 29) when supplemented with Cefaperazone (AMYL SP 403) to achieve a concentration of 32 mgm/L is the charcoal, cefazolin, desoxycholate (CCD) medium originally described by Bolton et al1 and later modified by the substitution of Cefaperazone for Cefazolin2.
The discovery by Bolton and Coates3 that whole or lysed blood can effectively be replaced by a mixture of charcoal, ferrous, sulphate and sodium pyruvate in media used to successfully cultivate the majority of thermophilic Campylobacters led to the development of this medium as a selective isolation agar. The use of charcoal as a substitute for blood is particularly appropriate for developing countries where the availability of sterile blood, required for other Campylobacter isolation media formulations, is either restricted or non-existent 4.
Comparative studies performed by Gun-Monro and her colleagues5 demonstrated that charcoal based blood free selective media produced better recovery rates of Campylobacter jejuni and C.coli from both simulated and clinical specimens than a range of blood containing media, and that the suppression of normal flora was also greater on selective charcoal media.
