RESUMO
Fishmeal extract bile salt lactose agar (FEBLA), a new differential medium for enteric bacteria was developed and evaluated for its ability to grow and differentiate lactose fermenters (LF) from non-lactose fermenters (NLF) in comparison with MacConkeys agar. Performance of FEBLA was at par with the latter. On FEBLA medium, the contrast between LF and NLF colonies was pronounced and Klebsiella pneumoniae produced more mucoid colonies than on MacConkeys agar (Hi Media). Unlike MacConkeys agar, a 24 h culture of K. pneumoniae cells on FEBLA were longer and thicker with abundant capsular material around the bacilli. Escherichia coli produced long and thick cells but only after 48h. No change in cell morphology was evident with regard to Salmonella typhi, S. paratyphi A, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Citrobacter koseri and Acinetobacter baumannii. Performance of the medium was controlled using E. coli and S. flexneri. FEBLA is simple, cost effective and may be a suitable alternative in the preliminary identification of enteric bacteria.