Chapter 18: Culture Media for the Isolation and Enumeration of Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Foods and Environmental Samples

The genus Vibrio contains over 70 described species, of which 12 are known human pathogens; of these, eight are food associated. The vibrios are normal microflora in estuarine waters, and thus occur in high numbers in seafood. V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus are the most important vibrios worldwide, causing diseases ranging from mild gastroenteritis to rapidly fatal infections. A large number of media have been developed over the last 45 years, both for the selective enrichment and for the isolation of these pathogens. Of these, alkaline peptone water (APW) and thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose agar are the most commonly employed for the enrichment and isolation of V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus. The most widely used selective medium for V. vulnificus is cellobiose polymyxin colistin agar and several of its modifications. These media, numerous others which have been described, their modes of action, their use, and typical results, are the topic of this review.