Product Center

BBL™ CHROMagar™ Staph aureus
Cat. # Desc. Qty. Unit
214982 BBL™ CHROMagar™ Staph aureus 20 SP
Product Image (select to enlarge)
Product Image
Intended Use:

BBL™ CHROMagar™ Staph aureus is a selective medium for the isolation, enumeration and identification of Staphylococcus aureus from clinical and food sources. Confirmatory testing of typical isolates from clinical sources is not required.

BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus (prepared plated medium) has been validated by the AOAC™ Research Institute under the Performance Tested MethodsSM Program for the analysis of shell eggs, smoked salmon and cooked roast beef when using AOAC and ISO methods.1,2 Confirmatory testing of mauve-colored colonies obtained from the food matrices mentioned above is required.

Catalog # Description Quantity Unit
214982 BBL™ CHROMagar™ Staph aureus
(AOAC-RI approved)
20 SP

BD BBL™ CHROMagar™ Staph aureus
Revision: 1105    Revision Date: 11/01/2005   

Intended Use: «

BBL™ CHROMagar™ Staph aureus is a selective medium for the isolation, enumeration and identification of Staphylococcus aureus from clinical and food sources. Confirmatory testing of typical isolates from clinical sources is not required.

BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus (prepared plated medium) has been validated by the AOAC™ Research Institute under the Performance Tested MethodsSM Program for the analysis of shell eggs, smoked salmon and cooked roast beef when using AOAC and ISO methods.1,2 Confirmatory testing of mauve-colored colonies obtained from the food matrices mentioned above is required.

Intended Use: » Intended Use:

BBL™ CHROMagar™ Staph aureus is a selective medium for the isolation, enumeration and identification of Staphylococcus aureus from clinical and food sources. Confirmatory testing of typical isolates from clinical sources is not required.

BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus (prepared plated medium) has been validated by the AOAC™ Research Institute under the Performance Tested MethodsSM Program for the analysis of shell eggs, smoked salmon and cooked roast beef when using AOAC and ISO methods.1,2 Confirmatory testing of mauve-colored colonies obtained from the food matrices mentioned above is required.


Product Summary: «

S. aureus is a well documented pathogen. It is responsible for infections ranging from superficial to systemic.3,4 Due to the prevalence of this organism and its clinical implications, detection is of utmost importance.

Staphylococcal food poisoning caused by S. aureus is one of the most common types of foodborne illness worldwide. Its detection and enumeration help provide information about the potential health hazard of food, as well as being an indicator of poor hygiene.5 It is also recommended that this organism be used as an indicator of water quality.6

BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus is intended for the isolation, enumeration and identification of S. aureus based on the formation of mauve-colored colonies. The addition of chromogenic substrates to the medium facilitates the differentiation of S. aureus from other organisms.

An advantage BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus has over some traditional media, such as Baird-Parker Agar, is the ability to identify S. aureus in 24 h as opposed to 48 h.

Product Summary: » Product Summary:

S. aureus is a well documented pathogen. It is responsible for infections ranging from superficial to systemic.3,4 Due to the prevalence of this organism and its clinical implications, detection is of utmost importance.

Staphylococcal food poisoning caused by S. aureus is one of the most common types of foodborne illness worldwide. Its detection and enumeration help provide information about the potential health hazard of food, as well as being an indicator of poor hygiene.5 It is also recommended that this organism be used as an indicator of water quality.6

BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus is intended for the isolation, enumeration and identification of S. aureus based on the formation of mauve-colored colonies. The addition of chromogenic substrates to the medium facilitates the differentiation of S. aureus from other organisms.

An advantage BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus has over some traditional media, such as Baird-Parker Agar, is the ability to identify S. aureus in 24 h as opposed to 48 h.


User Quality Control: « User Quality Control:

Examine plates for signs of deterioration as described under "Product Deterioration." Check performance by inoculating a representative sample of plates with pure cultures of stable control organisms that produce known, desired reactions. The following test strains are recommended:

Test Strain Expected Results
Staphylococcus aureus
ATCC™ 25923
Growth; mauve colonies
Staphylococcus saprophyticus
ATCC 15305
Growth; green to blue-green colonies
Proteus mirabilis
ATCC 12453
Inhibition (partial to complete)

Quality control requirements must be performed in accordance with applicable local, state and/or federal regulations or accreditation requirements and your laboratory’s standard Quality Control procedures. It is recommended that the clinical user refer to pertinent Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (formerly NCCLS) guidelines for appropriate Quality Control practices.


Reagents: « Reagents:

BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus
  Approximate Formula* Per Liter
  Chromopeptone  40.0   g
  NaCI  25.0   g
  Chromogen Mix  0.5   g
  Inhibitory agents  0.07   g
  Agar   14.0   g
  *Adjusted and/or supplemented as required to meet performance criteria.


Warnings and Precautions: « Warnings and Precautions:

For in vitro Diagnostic Use.

If excessive moisture is observed, invert the bottom over an off-set lid and allow to air dry in order to prevent formation of a seal between the top and the bottom of the plate during incubation. Protect from light during drying. See Storage Instructions.

Pathogenic microorganisms, including hepatitis viruses and Human Immunodeficiency Virus, may be present in clinical specimens. "Standard Precautions"7-10 and institutional guidelines should be followed in handling all items contaminated with blood and other body fluids.

After use, prepared plates, specimen or sample containers and other contaminated materials should be sterilized by autoclaving before discarding.

Storage Instructions: On receipt, store plates in the dark at 2—8°C in original sleeve wrapping and original cardboard box until time of inoculation. Avoid freezing and overheating. Do not open until ready to use. Minimize the exposure of BBL CHROMagar Staph aureus to light before and during incubation, as light may destroy the chromogens. Prepared plates stored in their original sleeve wrapping at 2—8°C until just prior to use may be inoculated up to the expiration date and incubated for the recommended incubation times. Allow the medium to warm to room temperature before inoculation.

Product Deterioration: Do not use plates if they show evidence of microbial contamination, discoloration, drying, cracking or other signs of deterioration.



Information shown on this page is a short summary extracted from the Package Insert, available as a PDF under the Related Documents section of this page.