Russian Journal of Infection and ImmunityRussian Journal of Infection and Immunity2220-76192313-7398SPb RAACI14410.15789/2220-7619-2013-4-347-350THE ACCELERATED METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION OF PATHOGENIC CORYNEBACTERIUMGabrielyanS. A.<p>PhD (Medicine), Associate Professor, Head of the Scientific and Practical Center of Medicobiological Researches</p><p>0051, Armenia, Yerevan, Komitas str., 49, 4</p>mbio@nih.sci.amNational Public Health Institute of Armenia Ministry of Health, Yerevan08072013343473500807201408072014Copyright © 2014, Gabrielyan S.A.2014<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The detection of cystinase activity is one of most important tests in the laboratory diagnosis of diphtheria, giving the opportunity to differentiate potential toxigenic species from other coryneform bacteria. The original recipe of Pizu media for detection of cystinase activity, proposed in 1939–1940, was modified several times (1982, 1989) for different reasons. In the last modification the Pizu media was prepared by using the AGV media as a nutritional base. We suggest a modification of Pizu media using Mueller-Hinton agar as nutritional basis. The Mueller-Hinton agar has a number of advantages: higher nutritional value, standardization, transparency and availability. A positive result is defined within 2–4 hours after inoculation of enough quantity of material (pure culture or C. diphtheriaе in association with other microorganisms) as a brown halo surrounding black colonies. The brown halo does not appear in the upper part of the media (0,5–1 cm). The modified media was checked with 21 strains of C. diphtheriaе (tox+), nine strains of coryneform bacteria, control strains NCTC 10648, NCTC 10356, NCTC 3984. The modified Pizu media is registered in the RA mental property agency as an invention (no. 1877 A2, 15.12.2006).</p>Corynebacteriumthe cistinaze activitythe modified nutrient mediumкоринебактериицистиназная активностьмодифицированная среда[1. Фельдман Ю.М., Маханева Л.Г., Лябах А.И. Новая модификация среды Пизу для ускоренной идентификации Corynebacterium diphtheriae на основе среды АГВ // Лабораторное дело. — 1989 — № 4. — С. 69–70. Fel`dman Yu.M., Makhaneva L.G., Lyabakh A.I. Novaya modifikatsiya sredy Pizu dlya uskorennoy identifikatsii Corynebacterium diphtheriae na osnove sredy AGV [The new modification of Pisa medium for rapid identification of Corynebacterium diphtheriae based on AGV medium]. Laboratornoe delo — Laboratory diagnostics, 1989, no. 4, pp. 69–70.][2. Фельдман Ю.М., Мельник Н.С. Способ ускоренной идентификации Corynebacterium diphtheriae // Журнал микробиологии, эпидемиологии и иммунобиологии. — 1982. — № 3. — С. 18–20. Fel`dman Yu.M., Mel`nik N.S. Sposob uskorennoy identifikatsii Corynebacterium diphtheriae [The method of rapid identification of Corynebacterium diphtheriae]. Zhurnal mikrobiologii, epidemiologii i immunobiologi — Journal of Microbiology, Epidemiology and Immunobiology, 1982, no. 3, pp. 18–20.][3. Boshoff H.M., Mizrahi V. Expression of Mycobacterium smegmatis pyrazinamidase in Mycobacterium tuberculosis confers hypersensitivity to pyrazinamide and related amides. J. Bacteriol., 2000, vol. 182, no. 19, pp. 5479–5485.][4. Colman G., Weaver E., Efstratiou A. Screening tests for pathogenic corynebacteria. J. Clin. Pathol., 1992, vol. 45, pp. 46–48.][5. Sulea I.T., Pollice M.C., Barksdale L. Pyrazine carboxylamidase activity in Corynebacterium. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1980, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 466–472.][6. Wattiau P., Janssens M., Wauters G. Corynebacterium simulans sp. nov., a nonlipophilic, fermentative Corynebacterium. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2000, vol. 50, pp. 347–353.]