Evaluation of three commercial agar preparations for the presumptive identification of significant urinary isolates

Three commercially available pre-poured chromogenic preparations - chromogenic urinary tract infection (UTI) medium (chromogenic UTI, Oxoid), CHROMagar Orientation (Becton Dickinson) and CPS ID2 (bioMerieux) - are evaluated in comparison to routine urine microbiology using cysteine lactose electrolyte-deficient (CLED) medium and conventional methods of identification and susceptibility testing by Vitek 1 for the majority of isolates. Most isolates were Escherichia coli, and a chromogenic medium has been shown to be a reliable, rapid and more economic medium on which to presumptively identify these organisms due to the substrates the strain utilises in the plate and the chromogen subsequently produced. However, the opacity of chromogenic UTI made the medium difficult to inoculate and read, although the colours were clear and strong. Although there was no statistical difference between CHROMagar Orientation and CPS ID2, the colours observed on the former were stronger. This meant that colony counting was possible at significant concentrations of 10(4) and 10(5) colony-forming units (cfu)/mL and it may be easier to detect mixtures that would indicate contamination. Chromogenic media are richer than CLED and a number of Lactobacillus spp. (normally regarded as normal flora) grew on this medium. These were not considered to be significant.