Novel selective medium for isolation of Burkholderia pseudomallei

Isolation of Burkholderia pseudomallei currently relies on the use of Ashdown's selective agar (ASA). We designed a new selective agar (Burkholderia pseudomallei selective agar [BPSA]) to improve recovery of the more easily inhibited strains of B. pseudomallei. B. pseudomallei, Burkholderia cepacia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used to determine the selectivity and sensitivity of BPSA. BPSA was more inhibitory to P. aeruginosa and B. cepacia and should make recognition of Burkholderia species easier due to distinctive colony morphology. BPSA also inhibited Enterococcus, Escherichia, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus: These results indicate that BPSA is a potential replacement for ASA.