Desoxycholate Lactose Agar is a slightly selective and differential plating medium used for isolating and differentiating gram-negative enteric bacillia and for enumerating coliforms from water, wastewater, milk, and dairy products.
- Peptone provides nitrogen and carbon
- Lactose is the fermentable carbohydrate
- Sodium chloride maintains osmotic equilibrium
- Sodium desoxycholate and sodium citrate inhibit gram-positive bacteria
- Neutral red is a pH indicator
- Agar is the solidifying agent
Differentiation of enteric bacilli is based on fermentation of lactose. Bacteria that ferment lactose produce acid and, in the presence of neutral red, form red colonies. Bacteria that do not ferment lactose form colorless colonies. The majority of normal intestinal bacteria ferment lactose, while Salmonella and Shigella species do not ferment lactose.