What is the common laboratory media used for culturing Bordetella pertussis?

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, requires specialized growth conditions that are not provided by standard laboratory media. Bordet-Gengou agar is enriched with the necessary nutrients and factors that support the growth of this particular organism. It is a sheep blood agar that also contains glycerin and potato infusion, which enhance the growth of B. pertussis while inhibiting the growth of other flora that would typically be present in respiratory samples.

In contrast, other media options are less suitable for isolating B. pertussis. For example, MacConkey agar is designed to isolate Gram-negative bacteria but does not support the growth of B. pertussis. Blood agar can sometimes be used for a variety of organisms, but it is not optimal for B. pertussis in particular. Nutrient agar is a basic medium that supports the growth of a wide range of bacteria but lacks the specific nutrients required for B. pertussis to thrive. Therefore, Bordet-Gengou agar is the preferred and common medium for successfully culturing Bordetella pertussis in the laboratory setting.