Low Cost Selective Media to Detect Gaffkemia, Aerococcus viridans

Abstract

A phenethyl alcohol-based selective medium is currently used as the presumptive test to detect gaffkemia, Aerococcus viridans, infections in wild and impounded lobsters, Homarus americanus. The medium uses a number of expensive ingredients including reagent-grade glucose and sodium chloride. The possibility of substituting for these two ingredients with low-cost food-grade substitutes was tested. Glucose was replaced with food-grade sucrose (table sugar) and sodium chloride was replaced with iodized table salt. These products contain impurities and anti-caking ingredients as well as iodine, which might interfere with bacterial growth. Acid production and the associated color changes of the media also occurred in all media tested.