A susceptibility result can shift before the organism changes. That is why Fastidious Anaerobe Agar Culture Media must be considered together with inoculum, atmosphere, incubation, and endpoint reading. The discussion below connects its documented role with preparation variables, controls, interpretation, and the limits of inference. Catalogue 10062 is discussed as a laboratory measurement component; implementation should follow the laboratory SOP and validated reference method.
Analytical scope and method role
Fastidious Anaerobe Agar w/ Horse Blood (FAA-HB) is a plated medium used for the cultivation and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of anaerobic bacteria. This medium is recommended by the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) for disk diffusion of selected rapidly growing anaerobic bacteria, i.e. Bacteroides spp., Prevotella spp., Fusobacterium necrophorum, Clostridium perfringens and Cutibacterium acnes.
Method principle
Peptone mix provides amino acids, nitrogen, minerals, vitamins, and nutrient factors for growth of fastidious organisms. Sodium chloride maintains the osmotic balance of the medium. Starch and sodium bicarbonate act as detoxification agents. The 0.1% of glucose stimulates growth of some anaerobes while preventing the production of high levels of acids and alcohols which would inhibit colonial development. Pyruvate helps neutralize hydrogen peroxide. Vitamin K and sodium succinate provide essential growth factors for some anaerobes. Specific growth promoting agents are cysteine for Fusobacterium necrophorum, Propionibacterium acne and Bacteroides fragilis, arginine for Eubacterium spp., soluble pyrophosphate for Porphyromonas gingivalis and Porphyromonas asaccharolyticus, and haemin for Porphyromonas melaninogenicus.
Formula and functional interpretation
* (Per Litre of Purified Water) *Adjusted and/or supplemented as required to meet
Review the nutritive, selective, differential, buffering, reducing, and indicator components against the expected target and background flora. Preparation errors can change recovery, inhibition, colour development, or endpoint visibility even when incubation is correct.
Preparation and execution: controlled method points
Procedure: Following EUCAST guidelines, FAA-HB plates are inoculated with a bacterial suspension in 0.85% saline from overnight cultures, adhering to the 15-15-15-minute rule (suspension used within 15 minutes, disks applied within 15 minutes of inoculation, and incubation within 15 minutes of applying the disks). The antibiotic disks are applied to the agar surface. Plates are incubated in an inverted position at 36 ± 1°C for 16-20 hours in an anaerobic atmosphere (80% N2, 10% H2, 10% CO2). For more details, please refer to the current EUCAST disk diffusion methodology for anaerobic bacteria. Note: 1.FAA-HB is not intended for the direct culture of clinical specimens. The medium must be inoculated with pure calibrated strains obtained by culture on a Petri plate.
Translate the method into controlled worksheet fields: catalogue and lot, preparation mass or volume, water quality, pH where applicable, heating or sterilization, supplements, dispense volume, preparation date, expiry assignment, incubation atmosphere and temperature, reading window, equipment, and analyst. Record departures as deviations instead of silently normalizing them.
Quality control: what the control result protects
organisms. SPECIMENS FAA-HB is used for AST of pure cultures that have been isolated from clinical specimens. EnglishExample picturesItalianoFrançaisEspañolDeutschČeštinaPolski PAGE1 4 5 8 11 15 18 21 Instructions For Use Fastidious Anaerobe Agar w/ Horse Blood Medium for isolation and susceptibility testing of anaerobes.
Challenge both sides of performance. Include a target reaction demonstrating recovery and, when relevant, a non-target or alternate reaction challenging inhibition or differentiation. Record expected and observed responses, acceptance criteria, strain and passage, lot, incubation, and disposition. A failed control blocks result interpretation until the cause is resolved.
Interpretation and confirmation pathway
At the end of the incubation period, the inhibition zone diameters are measured and interpreted according to the current EUCAST breakpoints and QC criteria for disk diffusion of anaerobes. Refer to the current EUCAST disk diffusion reading guide for anaerobic bacteria.
Record the raw observation before the conclusion: morphology or colour, growth pattern, endpoint, reaction intensity, reading time, and control response. Presumptive reactions remain presumptive. Route atypical, weak, mixed, or delayed reactions through the confirmation step in the current method.
Storage, stability, and pre-use inspection
Store at 2-8°C away from light. Do not use the product beyond its expiry date on the label or if product shows any evidence of contamination or any sign of deterioration. Avoid quick temperature shifts to prevent condensation.
Receipt and storage records should reconstruct temperature exposure, lot rotation, expiry, container integrity, and time outside controlled storage. Inspect colour, clarity, fill volume, gel integrity, contamination, dehydration, and precipitate before use.
Limitations and boundaries of use
Invalid results can be caused by poor specimen quality, improper sample collection, improper transportation, improper laboratory processing, or a limitation of the testing technology. The operator should understand the principles of the procedures, including its
Applicability depends on matrix, target organism, interfering flora, inoculum, validated method, and regulatory setting. Do not transfer conditions or acceptance criteria from a different matrix without verification.
Troubleshooting from evidence, not guesswork
- Poor recovery: check preparation, pH, overheating, supplement addition, inoculum, atmosphere, storage, and control performance.
- Loss of selectivity: review formulation, sterilization, expiry, inoculum burden, enrichment sequence, and incubation time.
- Weak or atypical reaction: confirm reading time and atmosphere, compare controls, document mixed growth, and follow confirmation requirements.
- Run-to-run drift: trend lot, analyst, equipment, water, preparation batch, controls, and environmental conditions.
External method context
The product should be understood as one measurement component in an antimicrobial susceptibility method. The analytical chain includes isolate purity, standardized inoculum, medium composition, antimicrobial concentration, incubation atmosphere and time, endpoint reading, and the interpretive table selected by the laboratory. A shift in any upstream variable can move an MIC or zone without a change in organism biology, which is why QC distributions and trend review are more informative than a single pass/fail control.
External laboratory-quality guidance also supports a lifecycle view: verify the method when introduced, bridge new lots against an accepted lot, trend control results, investigate nonconformities, and retain enough raw observations to reconstruct the decision. This is the practical difference between reproducing a preparation instruction and demonstrating that the resulting measurement is fit for its intended use.
EUCAST disk diffusion and quality control
EUCAST requires standardized methodology, current breakpoint tables, and routine quality control; the laboratory remains responsible for the final susceptibility report. For broth dilution, inoculum density, cation content, pH, incubation atmosphere, endpoint definition, and two-fold dilution design influence MIC reproducibility. Breakpoints are interpretive rules applied after a technically valid MIC or zone measurement; they are not properties of the product alone. Review the authoritative source.
FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual
FDA BAM methods organize food microbiology around validated sampling, preparation, enrichment, isolation, and confirmation steps, with method applicability tied to the matrix and target organism. Sampling uncertainty, homogenization efficiency, inhibitory ingredients, dilution design, and countable range can dominate the result before the culture medium is ever inoculated; those variables belong in method verification and uncertainty review. Review the authoritative source.
WHO Laboratory Quality Management System handbook
WHO laboratory quality guidance treats document control, equipment, purchasing and inventory, process control, records, occurrence management, and continual improvement as connected parts of reliable testing. Review the authoritative source.
Technical references
- Manufacturer product documentation for catalogue 10062.
- EUCAST disk diffusion and quality control (access checked 2026-07-20).
- FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (access checked 2026-07-20).
- WHO Laboratory Quality Management System handbook (access checked 2026-07-20).
Bench-use checklist
- Verify product identity, catalogue number, lot, expiry, and storage history.
- Document preparation and incubation exactly as controlled in the SOP.
- Define controls and acceptance criteria before testing.
- Record raw observations, control response, reading time, and confirmation decision.
- Escalate failed controls, atypical reactions, and departures through the quality system.