Czapek medium explained

Czapek medium, also called Czapek's agar (CZA)^{[1] [2]} or Czapek-Dox medium, is a growth medium for propagating fungi and other organisms in a laboratory. It was named after its inventors, Czech botanist Friedrich Johann Franz Czapek (May 16, 1868 – July 31, 1921) and American chemist Arthur Wayland Dox (September 19, 1882 – 1954). It was developed to grow Aspergillus niger and Penicillium camemberti. It works well for many saprophytic fungi and soil bacteria such as species of Aspergillus, Candida, Penicillium, and Paecilomyces.^[3]

Friedrich Czapek's original recipe is as follows:^[4]

• 1000 g distilled water
• 30 g cane sugar – energy source and sole source of carbon^[5]
• 1 g dipotassium phosphate – buffering agent
• 0.5 g magnesium sulfate – source of cations
• 0.5 g potassium chloride – source of essential ions
• 0.01 g iron sulfate – source of cations

Arthur Wayland Dox added 2 g of sodium nitrate in his version, to provide a sole source of nitrogen that is inorganic.^[6] This makes the medium a selective growth medium as only organisms that can use inorganic nitrogen can grow. Czapek and Dox did not add agar but many recipes add 15 g to make a solid medium.

External links

• Czapek Medium recipe
• Czapek solution agar recipe
• Czapek's Agar recipe
• Czapek-Dox Agar

Notes and References

1. Web site: . Czapek Agar (CZA) Recipe. theLabRat.com. 7 November 2017. English. 2005. Czapek Agar (CZA) Recipe. https://web.archive.org/web/20150316141421/http://thelabrat.com/protocols/CzapekAgarRecipe.shtml. 16 March 2015. live.
2. Web site: . NRRL Medium No. 8 Czapek's Solution Agar (CZA). ARS (NRRL) Culture Collection. ARS Culture Collection National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research. 7 November 2017. Peoria, IL. English. Czapek’s Solution Agar (CZA). https://web.archive.org/web/20161227134000/https://nrrl.ncaur.usda.gov/forms/NRRL_Medium_8.pdf. 27 December 2016. live.
3. Web site: . CZAPEK-DOX AGAR. Hardy Diagnostics Instructions for Use. Hardy Diagnostics. 3 October 2017. Santa Maria, CA. English. https://web.archive.org/web/20170708203455/https://catalog.hardydiagnostics.com/cp_prod/Content/hugo/Czapek-DoxAgar.html. 8 July 2017. live.
4. Czapek . F . Untersuchungen über die Stickstoffgewinnung und Eiweifsbildung der Pflanzen . Studies on nitrogen production and protein formation of plants . . 1901–1902 . 1 . 12 . 538–560 . 2 October 2017 . German . PDF . 1519369 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180328091820/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39459974 . 28 March 2018 . live .
5. Web site: . CZAPEK MEDIUM. Thermo Fisher Scientific. Remel. 3 October 2017. Lenexa, KS. English. September 20, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20171117070331/https://tools.thermofisher.com/content/sfs/manuals/IFU9322.pdf. 17 November 2017. live.
6. Dox. Arthur Wayland. The intracellular enzyms of penicillium and aspergillus: with special reference to those of Penicillium camemberti. Bulletin (United States Bureau of Animal Industry). 1910. 120. 37. 3 October 2017. English. PDF. 22281943. 6 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221006014550/https://books.google.com/books?id=iOS7chsvBwQC&q=potassium&pg=PA38. live.