Mannitol Salt Agar is used for the isolation of staphylococci in a laboratory setting. Mannitol Salt Agar is not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions in humans. Conforms to Harmonized USP/EP/JP Requirements.
Chapman formulated Mannitol Salt Agar to isolate staphylococci by inhibiting growth of most other bacteria with a high salt concentration. Chapman added 7.5% Sodium Chloride to Phenol Red Mannitol Agar and noted pathogenic strains of staphylococci (coagulase-positive staphylococci) grew luxuriantly and produced yellow colonies with yellow zones. Non-pathogenic staphylococci produced small red colonies with no color change to the surrounding medium.
Mannitol Salt Agar is highly selective and samples from heavily contaminated sources may be streaked onto this medium without danger of overgrowth. Mannitol Salt Agar is recommended for isolating pathogenic staphylococci from samples, cosmetics, and microbial limit tests.
Bacteria that grow in the presence of a high salt concentration and ferment mannitol produce acid products, turning the phenol red pH indicator from red to yellow. Typical pathogenic staphylococci ferment mannitol and form yellow colonies with yellow zones. Typical non-pathogenic staphylococci do not ferment mannitol and form red colonies.
Enzymatic digest of casein, enzymatic digest of animal tissue, and beef extract provide the nitrogen, vitamins, and carbon in Mannitol Salt Agar. D-Mannitol is the carbohydrate source. In high concentrations, sodium chloride inhibits most bacteria other than staphylococci. Phenol red is the pH indicator. Agar is the solidifying agent.
| Formula | Liter |
| Enzymatic Digest of Casein | 5.0 g/L |
| Enzymatic Digest of Animal Tissue | 5.0 g/L |
| Beef Extract | 1.0 g/L |
| D-Mannitol | 10.0 g/L |
| Sodium Chloride | 75.0 g/L |
| Phenol Red | 0.025 g/L |
| Agar | 15.0 g/L |
Final pH: 7.4 ± 0.2 at 25°C
Formula may be adjusted and/or supplemented as required to meet performance specifications.
Preparation
- Suspend 111 g of the medium in one liter of purified water.
- Heat with frequent agitation and boil for one minute to completely dissolve the medium.
- Autoclave at 121°C for 15 minutes.
- Cool to 45-50°C.
Product was previously known as Acumedia Product: 7143 Mannitol Salt Agar; and LabM Products: LAB007 Mannitol Salt Agar and HP009 Mannitol Salt Agar
Order Details
| Product # | Product Description |
| NCM0078A | Mannitol Salt Agar, 500 g |
| NCM0078B | Mannitol Salt Agar, 5 kg |
| NCM0078C | Mannitol Salt Agar, 10 kg |
| NCM0078D | Mannitol Salt Agar, 25 kg (European only size) |
| NCM0078E | Mannitol Salt Agar, 50 kg (US only size) |
This product is also available with a CE mark but with restricted sales geographically. Please click here for product details.
Reference Material
NCM0078 - Mannitol Salt Agar, Safety Data Sheet [Danish] [Dutch] [English] [EU English] [Finnish] [French] [German] [Italian] [Spanish, Mexico] [Swedish]
NCM0078 - Mannitol Salt Agar, Technical Specifications Sheet [English]
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