Sabouraud Dextrose Agar Plate

Fungi can be grouped simply on the basis of morphology as either yeasts or moulds. Fungal diseases that occur on the skin, hair and mucous membrane are called superficial mycoses, and the organism that cause them, the dermatophytes. Where fungi are to be isolated, it is good practice to use a medium that favors their growth but is not optimal for the growth of bacteria. Sabouraud Dextrose Agar is Carliers modification of the formulation described by Sabouraud for the cultivation of fungi (yeasts, moulds),and aciduric microorganisms. Peptone and Tryptone provides carbonaceous, nitrogenous compounds, long chain amino acids, vitamins and other essential growth nutrients.

Dextrose (Glucose) provides an energy source. High dextrose concentration and low pH favors fungal growth and inhibits contaminating bacteria from clinical specimens.