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BCYE Agar (for Legionella)
Cat. # Desc. Qty. Unit
221808 BCYE Agar (for Legionella) 10 SP
Intended Use:

Buffered Charcoal Yeast Extract (BCYE) Agar is used for primary isolation and cultivation of Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species from environmental samples and clinical specimens.

Catalog # Description Quantity Unit
221808 BCYE Agar (for Legionella) 10 SP

BBL™ BCYE Agar
Revision: 07    Revision Date: 02/01/2007   
Intended Use: «

Buffered Charcoal Yeast Extract (BCYE) Agar is used for primary isolation and cultivation of Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species from environmental samples and clinical specimens.

Intended Use: » Intended Use:

Buffered Charcoal Yeast Extract (BCYE) Agar is used for primary isolation and cultivation of Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species from environmental samples and clinical specimens.

Product Summary: «

BCYE Agar is based on Edelstein's modification of previously described media. In 1979, Feely et al. described Charcoal Yeast Extract (CYE) Agar as a modification of an existing medium, F-G Agar.1,2 They replaced the starch in the F-G Agar with activated charcoal and substituted yeast extract for casein hydrolysate, resulting in better recovery of L. pneumophila. In 1980, Pasculle reported that CYE Agar could be improved by buffering the medium with ACES Buffer.3 A year later, Edelstein further increased the sensitivity of the medium by adding alpha-ketoglutarate (BCYE Agar).4

Product Summary: » Product Summary:

BCYE Agar is based on Edelstein's modification of previously described media. In 1979, Feely et al. described Charcoal Yeast Extract (CYE) Agar as a modification of an existing medium, F-G Agar.1,2 They replaced the starch in the F-G Agar with activated charcoal and substituted yeast extract for casein hydrolysate, resulting in better recovery of L. pneumophila. In 1980, Pasculle reported that CYE Agar could be improved by buffering the medium with ACES Buffer.3 A year later, Edelstein further increased the sensitivity of the medium by adding alpha-ketoglutarate (BCYE Agar).4

User Quality Control: « User Quality Control:

See “Quality Control Procedures.”

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 user refer to pertinent CLSI (formerly NCCLS) guidance and CLIA regulations for appropriate Quality Control practices.


Reagents: « Reagents:
BCYE Agar
  Approximate Formula* Per Liter Purified Water
  Yeast Extract  10.0   g
  L-Cysteine HCl  0.4   g
  Ferric Pyrophosphate  0.25   g
  ACES Buffer  10.0   g
  Charcoal, Activated  2.0   g
  Alpha-Ketoglutarate  1.0   g
  Agar  15.0   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 bottom over an off-set lid and allow to air dry in order to prevent formation of a seal between the top and bottom of the plate during incubation.

Pathogenic microorganisms, including hepatitis viruses and Human Immunodeficiency Virus, may be present in clinical specimens. "Standard Precautions"5-8 and institutional guidelines should be followed in handling all items contaminated with blood and other body fluids. After use, prepared plates, specimen containers and other contaminated materials must be sterilized by autoclaving before discarding.



Information shown on this page is a short summary extracted from the QC/PI Manual, available as a PDF under the Related Documents section of this page.