Virginia Research Day 2025

Medical Student Research Biomedical

27 Comparative Evaluation of CHROMagar Staph Aureus and Traditional Selective Media for Differentiation of Cutaneous Staphylococcal Species

Paige O’Brien Daly, MA¹; Kaylie Ward¹; Douglas Pluta²; Jessica Gilbertie, MS, DVM, PhD² Corresponding author: pdaly@vcom.edu

1 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Virginia Campus ² Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, VA

Human skin hosts a diverse community of commensal microorganisms, with Staphylococcus species among the most prevalent. Accurate differentiation of Staphylococcus aureus from other staphylococci is crucial for clinical diagnosis and research. This study evaluates the effectiveness of differentiating S. aureus from other staphylococci on CHROMagar Staph

differentiation of S. aureus from other common skin staphylococci, and therefore outperforming traditional selective media. Implementing CHROMagar Staph aureus in clinical laboratories could significantly improve patient outcomes by changing and streamlining the diagnostic process.

aureus media vs traditional selective media (Mannitol Salt, Vogel Johnson, Baird-Parker). After morphology and color changes were examined at 24 and 48 hours of incubation, and species were confirmed using Matrix-Assisted-Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, findings prove that CHROMagar Staph aureus provides rapid, clear

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