Chocolate Agar Base | Enriched Medium for Fastidious Organisms | AS‑1173
$155.00 AUD
AuSaMicS Life Science • Enriched Media
Chocolate Agar Base
Enriched Medium for Fastidious Organisms Requiring X (Hemin) and V (NAD) Factors
Chocolate Agar Base is a highly enriched medium designed for the cultivation of fastidious microorganisms, particularly Haemophilus spp. and Neisseria spp. When supplemented with heated blood, it releases essential growth factors X (hemin) and V (NAD), enabling optimal recovery of demanding pathogens.
AS-1173
Fastidious Organisms
X & V Factors
✓ Enriched
🧫 Haemophilus & Neisseria
🩸 Requires heated blood
🔬 Clinical microbiology standard
🏆 Fastidious Growth Medium
🦠 Haemophilus & Neisseria
⚗️ X (hemin) & V (NAD) factors
📋 COA + SDS available
🔬 High recovery performance
Key Function
Supports fastidious pathogens
🔬 Principle of the Medium
Chocolate Agar is prepared by heating blood (typically 5–10%) added to the sterile base. This process lyses red blood cells and releases intracellular nutrients, including hemin (X factor) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD, V factor).
These growth factors are essential for organisms such as Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which cannot grow on standard blood agar due to lack of freely available NAD.
Heated blood → RBC lysis → X & V factors released
↓
Growth of fastidious organisms
↓
Growth of fastidious organisms
🧪 Applications
- Isolation of Haemophilus spp.
- Cultivation of Neisseria spp.
- Clinical respiratory and genital specimens
- Preparation of selective media (e.g. Thayer-Martin)
📊 Fastidious Media Comparison
| Medium | Selectivity | Target | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Agar | Low | Fastidious bacteria | X & V factors |
| Blood Agar | None | General bacteria | Haemolysis detection |
| Thayer-Martin Agar | High | Neisseria spp. | Selective antibiotics |
| BCYE Agar | Moderate | Legionella spp. | Charcoal + cysteine |
💡 Practical Notes
- Requires addition of sterile defibrinated blood
- Heat blood to lyse RBCs (do not overheat)
- Supports fastidious but not highly selective
- Can be modified into selective variants
📋 Technical Specifications
| Product Code | AS-1173 |
| Format | Dehydrated base |
| Type | Enriched medium base |
| Supplement Required | 5–10% heated blood |
| Final pH | ~7.2–7.4 |
| Storage | 15–25°C dry |
| HS Code | 3821.00.00 |
🧫 Growth Profile
- ✓ Haemophilus influenzae
- ✓ Neisseria gonorrhoeae
- ✓ Neisseria meningitidis
- ✓ Other fastidious organisms
✅ Quality
- ✓ High enrichment performance
- ✓ Consistent recovery
- ✓ COA available
Disclaimer: For laboratory and research use only.