Tryptic Soy Agar is used for the isolation and cultivation of fastidious and non-fastidious micro-organisms. It supports the abundant growth of fastidious organisms such as Pneumococci, Streptococci, Neisserias, etc. Since it lacks carbohydrates, it is very useful in the study of hemolytic reactions and also in the preparation of chocolate agar.
- Off-white granular powder
- pH of 7,1 to 7,5
- To be stored at room temperature
- ideal for bacterial cell culture
Here, casein peptone and soya peptone provide nitrogen, vitamins and minerals. The natural sugars from soya peptone promote bacterial growth. Sodium chloride is for the osmotic balance. It may be used for sterility testing. It can be used with or without blood supplement.
This is recommended as a reference medium when testing selective media, to measure the degree of inhibition. It is also used as precultivation medium and enumeration (E. coli) according to membrane-filter technique. As it does not contain the X and V factors, it is suitable for identification of Haemophilus sp. by adding X (Hemin) and V (DPN) factors strips.
A short list of microorganisms that grow on this medium are the following: Streptococcus, Neisseria, Brucella, Corynebacterium, Listeria, Pasteurella, Vibrio, Haemophilus vaginals, Candida and more.
