Question

A child presented with bloody stools and abdominal pain. What enrichment medium should be used for the faeces sample?

• A. Selenite F broth
• B. Alkaline peptone water
• C. Blood agar
• D. Muller Hinton Broth

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

To identify the appropriate enrichment medium for a faeces sample from a child with bloody stools and abdominal pain, it is crucial to understand the purpose of various media in microbiology. Enrichment media are used to promote the growth of specific microorganisms, which might be present in low numbers and might not grow well in regular media.

For the symptoms described – bloody stools and abdominal pain – the objective is often to detect pathogens such as Salmonella or Shigella, which are common causes of bacterial gastroenteritis in children.

Selenite F broth is an enrichment medium designed to enhance the growth of Salmonella while inhibiting the growth of the competing intestinal flora. This makes it an excellent choice for isolating and identifying Salmonella species from stool samples associated with gastrointestinal infections.

Thus, the correct enrichment medium to use in this scenario is Selenite F broth.