What is lowenstein jensen medium?

Lowenstein-Jensen medium is a specialized solid agar medium used for the cultivation of Mycobacterium species, particularly Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It was developed by Julius Herman Arthur Robert Koch in the late 1800s.

The medium contains ingredients such as malachite green, glycerol, potassium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, asparagine, citric acid, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and eggs. These components provide a rich nutritional environment for the growth of mycobacteria.

Lowenstein-Jensen medium is used in clinical laboratories for the isolation and identification of mycobacteria from clinical samples such as sputum, urine, and tissue specimens. The colonies of mycobacteria grown on the medium appear as creamy, raised, and rough colonies after incubation at 37°C for several weeks.

This medium is selective for mycobacteria as the presence of malachite green inhibits the growth of contaminating microorganisms. It also allows for the differentiation of various mycobacterial species based on their colony morphology and growth characteristics.

Overall, Lowenstein-Jensen medium is a valuable tool in the detection and isolation of Mycobacterium species, particularly Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is the causative agent of tuberculosis.