BBL™ CHROMagar™ Candida is a selective medium for the isolation and presumptive identification of yeast and filamentous fungi and differentiation of Candida albicans, C. tropicalis and C. krusei.¹ Due to the differences in morphology and colors of the yeast colonies, this medium facilitates the detection of mixed yeast cultures in specimens.^2,3 It may also be used as a selective isolation medium for other yeasts and for filamentous fungi instead of Sabouraud Dextrose Agar or similar media.

The usefulness of a selective and differential medium for the primary isolation of Candida species has long been noted. In 1953 Nickerson developed a medium following a study of sulfite reduction by Candida species.⁴ In 1958 Pagano et al. added triphenyltetrazolium chloride to Sabouraud Dextrose medium to differentiate C. albicans from other yeasts.⁵

CHROMagar Candida is a selective and differential medium developed by A. Rambach and is sold by BD under a licensing agreement with CHROMagar, Paris, France. With the inclusion of chromogenic substrates in the medium, the colonies of C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. krusei produce different colors, thus allowing the direct detection of these yeast species on the isolation plate.^1-3 Colonies of C. albicans appear light to medium green, C. tropicalis colonies appear dark blue to metallic-blue and C. krusei colonies appear light mauve to mauve, flat colonies with a whitish border. Other yeasts may appear light to dark mauve (e.g., C. glabrata and other species).