Selective and differential media for isolation and tentative identification of each species of Pityrosporum residing on normal or diseased human skin.

Selective and differential media were designed for each species of Pityrosporum; P. pachydermatis, P. ovale, and P. orbiculare in order to make feasible a quantitative cultivation. Medium for P. pachydermatis (medium A) was composed of 1% trypticase peptone (BBL), 0.5% yeast extract (BBL), 0.3% glucose, 0.2% NaCl, 1.2% KH2 PO4 (anhydrous), 1.5% agar, 0.01% ampicillin, and 0.025% cycloheximide with a pH of 5.5. Medium for P. ovale (medium B) was medium A supplemented with 0.05% sodium acetate (anhydrous), 0.2% Tween 80, and 0.025% (selective medium) or 0.075% (differential medium) sodium laurate. Medium for P. orbiculare was medium B (devoid of laurate) supplemented with 2% olive oil, 0.25% glycerol, 0.25% gall powder, 0.05% sodium palmitate, 0.05% sodium stearate, 0.05% sodium oleate and 8% (selective medium) or 10% (differential medium) sodium lactate and an increase in Tween to 1%. For isolation of Pityrosporum, specimens were suspended in 0.1% Tween 80 solution and inoculated onto agar plates of three selective media. The plates were incubated aerobically at 37 C for 8-10 days under conditions of prevention of water loss from the media. The plating efficiency of each selective medium, expressed as a ratio of cultural counts to microscopic counts was generally over 70%. Species of Pityrosporum could also be identified when we inoculated the cell suspension onto differential agar plates and incubated the preparations at 37 C for 7 days.