HEKTOEN ENTERIC AGAR

Hektoen Enteric Agar was developed in 1967 by King and Metzger of the Hektoen Institute in order to increase the frequencies of isolation of Shigella and Salmonella organisms when compared with their recovery on other media frequently utilized in clinical laboratories at that time. Sodium deoxycholate has been replaced by bile salts in reduced concentration. This allows growth of Shigella as well as the Salmonellae. The peptone concentrations have been increased in order to offset the inhibitory effects of the bile salts. Hektoen Enteric Agar is currently recommended as one of several plating media for the culture of Enterobacteriaceae from stool specimens. Foods containing poultry, eggs or dairy products are the most frequent vehicles for foodborne Salmonellosis, and a variety of procedures have been developed using Hektoen Enteric Agar as part of the multi-step procedure to isolate Salmonella. This medium is recommended by United States Pharmacopoeia, 2009 for testing the presence of Salmonella in dietary supplements. This medium is recommended in testing of Salmonella in food sample by various standards. The composition & performance criteria of this medium are as per the specifications laid down in ISO 21567:2004.

for di?erential and selective isolation of Salmonella and Shigella species from pathological specimens