SP4 Agar is the specialized medium used to culture which organism from clinical specimens?

SP4 Agar is the specialized medium used to culture which organism from clinical specimens?

• A. Chlamydia trachomatis
• B. Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• C. Ehrlichia chaffeensis
• D. Rickettsia prowazekii

Answer: (B)

SP4 agar is designed to culture Mycoplasma species, which are cell-wall–deficient bacteria that require cholesterol and rich nutrients to grow. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common cause of atypical pneumonia, can be recovered from clinical specimens on this medium because SP4 provides the cholesterol and nutrients these organisms need to proliferate. The other organisms listed are obligate intracellular pathogens that do not grow on SP4; they require living host cells or specialized culture systems, so SP4 is not suitable for them.

SP4 agar is designed to culture Mycoplasma species, which are cell-wall–deficient bacteria that require cholesterol and rich nutrients to grow. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common cause of atypical pneumonia, can be recovered from clinical specimens on this medium because SP4 provides the cholesterol and nutrients these organisms need to proliferate. The other organisms listed are obligate intracellular pathogens that do not grow on SP4; they require living host cells or specialized culture systems, so SP4 is not suitable for them.