Legionella BMPA Agar

This is a selective medium for the isolation of Legionella spp used primarily in clinical and environmental laboratories. The base agar contains Yeast Extract as a source of protein, Charcoal to neutralise growth-inhibiting substances and is supplemented with Ferric Pyrophosphate as a source of iron, L-Cysteine hydrochloride and α-ketoglutarate to form amino acid and chelate respectively. ACES buffer and Potassium hydroxide are incorporated to maintain the optimal pH for growth. The medium is made selective by the addition of Cefamandole and Polymixin to inhibit most gram positive and gram negative organisms and Cyclohexamide is also included to inhibit yeasts and fungi.