You would like to culture a bacterium that is growing in the lung of a human patient with pneumonia. Which media would be of most use in culturing this organism?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Complex medium supplemented with whole blood would be most useful in culturing the bacterium from a lung sample as it would provide a rich source of nutrients and growth factors that would support the growth of fastidious organisms, such as those commonly associated with respiratory infections. Transport media are used to preserve the viability of specimens during transport, but are not used for cultivation. Mannitol salt agar is selective for Staphylococcus species and MacConkey's agar is selective for gram-negative bacteria, neither of which may be the causative agent of pneumonia.

You Would Like to Culture a Bacterium That Is Growing