What selective growth media is best suited for isolation of coliform bacteria? How can they be differentiated?

What selective growth media is best suited for isolation of coliform bacteria? How can they be differentiated?What selective growth media is best suited for isolation of coliform bacteria? How can they be differentiated?
Coliforms are Gram negative bacteria that are easily identifiable on a MacConkey agar plate. This type of plate contains bile acids, which will inhibit the growth of most Gram-positive bacteria.





The MacConkey plate contains lactose and a dye (a pH indicator) that will turn red when a bacterium can ferment lactose. Coliforms can ferment lactose, and so they will appear red on MacConkey plates.





In addition, one could to a Gram stain to determine whether the grown bacteria are really Gram negative, and to determine their shape (rods vs. cocci).








What selective growth media is best suited for isolation of coliform bacteria? How can they be differentiated?
A petri plate of ';solid'; nutrient agar. Streak your stuff on it. Bacteria will grow in small circular colonies -- each colony descended from a single cell.