Description
Specifications Table
| Product Name | Mannitol Salt Agar Plate | MP118-50PT | Himedia |
|---|---|
| Pack Size | 50 plates |
| Form | Pre-poured agar plates |
| Grade | Laboratory grade |
| Application | Selective isolation of pathogenic staphylococci |
Product Description
Mannitol Salt Agar Plate | MP118-50PT | Himedia is a ready-to-use selective and differential microbiological culture medium designed for the isolation and preliminary differentiation of salt-tolerant microorganisms, particularly Staphylococcus species. It is widely used for screening and culture applications in clinical, food, pharmaceutical, environmental, research, and educational microbiology laboratories.
The medium contains a high concentration of sodium chloride, which provides selective conditions that inhibit many microorganisms unable to tolerate elevated salt concentrations. Salt-tolerant bacteria, especially members of the genus Staphylococcus, can grow under these conditions. This selective property helps reduce competing microbial growth and makes suspected staphylococcal colonies easier to examine.
Mannitol Salt Agar also incorporates mannitol and phenol red to provide differential properties. When a microorganism ferments mannitol, acidic metabolic products are generated, causing a reduction in the pH of the surrounding medium. The phenol red indicator responds to this change by producing a visible color shift, helping differentiate mannitol-fermenting organisms from non-fermenting organisms.
Staphylococcus aureus is frequently screened using Mannitol Salt Agar because it is salt tolerant and typically capable of fermenting mannitol. This can result in a yellow coloration of the medium around the growing colonies. Other staphylococci may grow without producing the same characteristic color reaction. Such reactions should be considered presumptive and confirmed using appropriate biochemical, molecular, or other validated identification techniques.
The MP118-50PT product is supplied as a prepared, ready-to-use agar plate. This format eliminates the need for laboratories to weigh and prepare the medium, sterilize it, and pour individual plates. Ready-to-use plates can help reduce media preparation time, simplify routine workflows, and support greater consistency between microbiological tests.
Mannitol Salt Agar Plates can be used for the preliminary screening of salt-tolerant staphylococci in a range of sample types. Typical applications include clinical microbiology, food and beverage testing, pharmaceutical quality control, environmental monitoring, research, and teaching laboratories. The plates can be incorporated into workflows where suspected colonies are subsequently subjected to confirmatory identification.
The prepared plates should be stored under the manufacturer’s recommended conditions and handled using suitable aseptic techniques. Sample inoculation, incubation, colony examination, and interpretation should be performed according to the applicable validated laboratory procedure. Appropriate controls should be used where required.
Overall, the Himedia Mannitol Salt Agar Plate combines high-salt selectivity with mannitol fermentation-based differentiation to provide a convenient platform for the isolation and preliminary examination of Staphylococcus species and other salt-tolerant microorganisms.
FAQs
1. What is Mannitol Salt Agar Plate used for?
Mannitol Salt Agar Plate is primarily used for the selective isolation and preliminary differentiation of salt-tolerant microorganisms, particularly Staphylococcus species, from clinical, food, environmental, and other microbiological samples.
2. How does Mannitol Salt Agar differentiate microorganisms?
The high sodium chloride concentration selects for salt-tolerant organisms, while mannitol and phenol red help differentiate microorganisms based on their ability to ferment mannitol and produce a corresponding color change in the medium.
3. What reaction does Staphylococcus aureus typically produce?
Staphylococcus aureus typically tolerates the high salt concentration and ferments mannitol, which may cause the medium surrounding the colonies to turn yellow. Additional confirmatory testing is necessary for definitive identification.
4. Is the MP118-50PT plate ready to use?
Yes. The MP118-50PT product is supplied as a prepared, ready-to-use agar plate, reducing the need for in-house media preparation, sterilization, and plate pouring before testing.
5. What is the pack size and product code?
The product code is MP118-50PT, and the product is supplied as a pack of 50 ready-to-use plates manufactured by Himedia.
