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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1968 April; 16(4): 579-581
Copyright © 1968 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A New Plating Medium for the Isolation of Enteric Pathogens

II. Comparison of Hektoen Enteric Agar with S S and E M B Agar

Department of Microbiology, Cook County Hospital, Chicago, Illinois 60612
The Hektoen Institute for Medical Research, Chicago, Illinois 60612

ABSTRACT

During this study, 2,855 stool specimens from patients at Cook County Hospital were cultured for enteric pathogens. Hektoen Enteric Agar (HE) was compared with E M B and S S Agars by replicate samplings with both direct and indirect methods. Shigella species were recovered more than twice as often on HE Agar as on S S Agar by both methods. With the direct method only, out of 98 Shigella isolated, 97 were isolated from HE Agar, 74 were recovered from E M B Agar, and 40 were found on S S Agar. In addition, HE yielded better isolation of Salmonella strains than did S S or E M B by either direct or indirect methods. The greater efficiency of HE medium is discussed with respect to colonial recognition of enteric pathogens.