Agar disk diffusion (Bauer-Kirby) tests with various fastidious and nonfastidious reference (ATCC) strains: comparison of several agar media.

Several agar media (Mueller-Hinton agar, MHA; diagnostic sensitivity test agar, DSTA; Schaedler agar, SchA; Todd-Hewitt agar with added yeast extract, THYA; Wilkins-Chalgren agar, WCA) were compared using the Bauer-Kirby agar disk diffusion test against six nonfastidious quality control strains: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and ATCC 29213, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and ATCC 35218, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. MHA, DSTA, and THYA yielded essentially comparable inhibition zones. However, WCA and SchA antagonized cotrimoxazole and aminoglycoside antibiotics; furthermore, SchA antagonized polymyxin B, and both WCA and SchA antagonized imipenem against the P. aeruginosa strain, but not against the E. coli strains. Sheep blood-MHA (Bl-MHA), WCA, THYA, and DSTA were examined with Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615, Streptococcus agalactiae ATCC 13813, and Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC 6306. In comparison with Bl-MHA, both WCA and THYA yielded comparable inhibition zones against S. pyogenes; DSTA afforded suboptimal growth. DSTA yielded larger inhibition zones with the majority of antimicrobial drugs against S. agalactiae, whereas WCA and THYA enhanced the activity of oxacillin and penicillin G against this strain. S. pneumoniae strain ATCC 6306 grew well on Bl-MHA, yielded suboptimal growth on WCA and faint growth on THYA, and failed to grow on DSTA. Chocolate-supplemented sheep blood-MHA (CHOC-MHA) was compared with Haemophilus test medium (HTM), WCA with added NAD, and THYA with added hematin and NAD against Haemophilus influenzae strains ATCC 35056 and ATCC 49247. The activities of doxycycline and rifampin were enhanced against both strains by HTM, WCA+NAD, and THYA+hematin+NAD. Only WCA+NAD antagonized cotrimoxazole against both H. influenzae strains, an effect due to thymidine; however, HTM antagonized cotrimoxazole against S. aureus ATCC 25923 and E. coli ATCC 25922. It was concluded that Bl-MHA performed best for beta-hemolytic streptococci quality control strains. Likewise, CHOC-MHA was optimal for the two H. influenzae strains used in this comparative agar disk diffusion study.