Kligler iron agar is used to differentiate between some of the enterobacteriacae on the basis of three reactions: fermentation of lactose and glucose and the production of hydrogen sulphide.
Kligler iron agar is a modification of the original formulation developed by Kligler.
It incorporates the principles of Russell’s double sugar agar with Kligler ‘s lead acetate agar.
The peptone provides the required nitrogen, carbon and vitamins. Lactose and glucose are carbohydrates.
Acid production from their fermentation is detected by the phenol red pH indictor. Sodium thiosulphate is reduced to hydrogen sulphide which is detected by the ferric citrate indicator.
Sodium chloride maintains the osmotic balance.
Kligler Iron Agar
Additional Information
| Container | |
|---|---|
| Shelf Life (days) | |
| Storage Temp (°C) | |
| Dehydrated Medium Appearance | |
| Prepared Medium Appearance | |
| Dehydrated Medium Colour | |
| Prepared Medium Colour | |
| Dehydrated PH | |
| Prepared PH | |
| Recommended Incubation |
Product Description
| Organisms | Ref. No | Slant | Butt | Gas | H2S |
| Escherichia coli | NCTC 12241 | Acid | Acid | + | – |
| Salmonella typhimurium | NCTC 12023 | Alkaline | Acid | + | + |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | NCTC 12903 | Alkaline | Alkaline | – | – |
| Shigella flexneri | ATCC 12022 | Alkaline | Acid | – | – |
| Proteus mirabilis | ATCC 29906 | Alkaline | Acid | – | + |
| Citrobacter freundii | ATCC 43864 | Acid | Acid | + | + |
Formula*
| g/L | |
| Peptone | 20.0 |
| Sodium chloride | 5.0 |
| Lactose | 10.0 |
| Glucose | 1.0 |
| Ferric citrate | 0.5 |
| Sodium thiosulphate | 0.3 |
| Phenol red | 0.025 |
| Agar | 12.0 |
| Total | 49.0 |
| *Adjusted/supplemented as required to meet performance requirements |
Preparation
Suspend 49g of the medium in one litre of deionised / purified water. Allow the medium to soak whilst mixing for 10 minutes. Sterilise at 121°C for 15 minutes with frequent stirring to completely dissolve the medium. Cool to 45-50°C and dispense into appropriate sterile containers.