BRAIN HEART INFUSION AGAR (VEG.)

Brain Heart Infusion Agar is a general purpose plating medium used for the isolation, cultivation, and maintenance of a variety of fastidious and nonfastidious microorganisms. Brain Heart Infusion Agar is a modification of the medium described by ROSENOW in which the brain tissue has been replaced by brain extract and the calcium carbonate by di-sodium hydrogen phosphate. BHI Agar supplemented with (5 to 10%) defibrinated sheep blood is used extensively for the recovery of dimorphic fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum and other pathogenic fungi such as Coccidioides immitis. A more selective formulation containing chloramphenicol and cycloheximide is also available that will allow the recovery of pathogenic fungi while inhibiting a wide range of bacteria and saprophytic fungi. McDonough et al. demonstrated that the temperature of incubation may alter the sensitivity of some pathogenic fungi to antibiotics; it is therefore recommended that both an antimicrobic containing medium and non-selective medium be used on primary isolates at both 25?C and 35?C.

for cultivation of fastidious pathogenic bacteria, yeasts and molds