
What is urea urease test?
Urease test makes the use of urea base. Conventionally, Stuart formulated urea broth was used to identify the rapid urease positive Proteus species. Later on, Christensen formulated urea agar to identify slow urease positive organisms belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family.
What is the function of urease?
The urease is a hydrolytic enzyme which attacks the carbon and nitrogen bond with the liberation of ammonia and carbondioxide. It is useful diagnostic test for identifying bacteria, especially to distinguish members of the genus Proteus from Gram negative pathogens.
What media is used to detect urease activity?
Two media types are commonly used to detect urease activity. Christensen’s urea agar is used to detect urease activity in a variety of microorganisms. Stuart’s urea broth is used primarily for the differentiation of Proteus species.
What does a positive urease test result mean?
Positive result: The whole media turns fluorescent pink-red colour within 16-24 hours, indicates a positive urease test. Delayed positive result: The media slightly turns pink in colour and requires prolonged incubation of 6 days. Negative result: The colour and the pH of the media will remain the same.
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Media Used in Urease Test
CompositionIngredients per liter of deionized water:*Final pH 6.7 +/- 0.2 at 25 degrees C.Preparation 1. Dissolve the ingredients in 100 ml of dist...
Result Interpretation of Urease Test
Positive Reaction: Development of an intense magenta to bright pink color in 15 min to 24 h.Examples: Proteus spp, Cryptococcus spp, Corynebacteriu...
Quality Control of Urease Test
Positive: Proteus vulgaris (ATCC13315)Weak positive: Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC13883)Negative: Escherichia coli (ATCC25922)
Limitations of Urease Test
1. Some organisms rapidly split urea (Brucella and H. pylori), while others react slowly. 2. It is recommended that biochemical and/or serological...
What bacteria produce urease?
It is also useful to identify Cryptococcus spp., Brucella , Helicobacter pylori, and many other bacteria that produce the urease enzyme. Directly, this test is performed on gastric biopsy samples to detect the presence of H. pylori.
What is a urea breath test?
Urea breath test is a common non-invasive test to detect Helicobacter pylori also based on urease activity. This is highly sensitive and specific test.
What is the color of the mucosa in a biopsy?
The test is performed at the time of gastroscopy. A biopsy of mucosa is taken from the antrum of the stomach, and is placed into a medium containing urea and an indicator such as phenol red. The urease produced by H. pylori hydrolyzes urea to ammonia, which raises the pH of the medium, and changes the color of the specimen from yellow (NEGATIVE) to red (POSITIVE).
What are the limitations of urea?
Limitations of Urease Test 1 Some organisms rapidly split urea ( Brucella and H. pylori ), while others react slowly. 2 It is recommended that biochemical and/or serological tests be performed on colonies from pure culture for complete identification. 3 To facilitate growth and the urea hydrolysis reaction, do not use inoculum from a broth suspension. 4 After prolonged incubation times a false-positive alkaline reaction may be seen. To rule out this occurrence, check the test with a control (an uninoculated tube of Urea Agar) along with the inoculated tube during prolonged incubation. 5 Do not heat the Urea Agar Slants, as urea decomposes very readily when heated. 6 To detect Proteus species, the Urea Agar, Slants must be examined within 6 hours of inoculation for a reaction. 7 Urea Agar should not be used to determine the quantitative rate of urease activity, as organisms vary in their capability and rate of hydrolysis. 8 Failure to incubate this medium with loose caps may cause erroneous results to occur. 9 Urea is light sensitive and can undergo autohydrolysis. Store at 2 to 8u0001C in the dark.
How many drops of urea agar to inoculate slant?
Streak the surface of a urea agar slant with a portion of a well-isolated colony or inoculate slant with 1 to 2 drops from an overnight brain-heart infusion broth culture.
What is the CLO test?
It is a rapid, cheap and simple test that detects the presence of urease in or on the gastric mucosa. It is also known as the CLO test (Campylobacter-like organism test). This test uses a procedure called gastric endoscopy and biopsy to collect stomach lining cells. The test is performed at the time of gastroscopy.
What is the purpose of the urease test?
The urease test is used to determine the ability of an organism to split urea, through the production of the enzyme urease.
What is urease test used for?
It is used to detect the presence of H. pylori in tissue biopsy material.
What is the purpose of urease test?
Urease test is a procedure used to find out the organism’s ability to split urea by producing an enzyme urease. Menu. Home.
What organisms have the ability to produce urease?
(2, 4) Organisms that have the ability to produce urease include: Cryptococcus.
What temperature should urease be tested at?
The ideal temperature is between 35 and 37 degree Celsius. After the incubation period, check for any changes in color. Pink is an affirmation result. (6, 8, 9, and 10) Results. The color of the slant changes from light orange to pink if the organism being tested is positive for urease.
Where to store urea test tube?
Store the test tube in a dark place as urea undergoes auto-hydrolysis when exposed to light.
How long does it take for urease to change to pink?
Hence, an organism that tests positive for urease makes the medium pink within 24 hours. (1, 2, 3, and 4)
What media is used to detect urease activity?
Two media types are commonly used to detect urease activity. Christensen’s urea agar is used to detect urease activity in a variety of microorganisms. Stuart’s urea broth is used primarily for the differentiation of Proteus species.
What is the purpose of the Urease test?
Urease Test. The urease test identifies those organisms that are capable of hydrolyzing urea to produce ammonia and carbon dioxide. It is primarily used to distinguish urease-positive Proteeae from other Enterobacteriaceae.
What color is urea agar?
For Christensen’s urea agar, urease production is indicated by a bright pink (fuchsia) color on the slant that may extend into the butt after 1-6 hours of incubation. The culture medium will remain a yellowish color if the organism is urease negative.
What media is used to detect urease?
Both urea agar slants and broth media can be used for the detection of urease production. Agar media includes the Urea Agar Base (Christensen agar), and the broth includes the urea broth.
What is the color of urea?
Urea medium, whether a broth or agar, contains urea and the phenol red as a pH indicator. Many organisms, especially those that cause urinary tract infections, produce the urease enzyme, which catalyzes the splitting of urea in the presence of water to release two molecules of ammonia and carbon dioxide. The ammonia combines with the carbon dioxide and water to form ammonium carbonate, which turns the medium alkaline, turning the indicator from its original orange-yellow color to bright pink. This test is performed as part of the identification of several genera and species of the Enterobacteriaceae family, including Klebsiella, Proteus, and some Citrobacter and Yersinia species, as well as some Corynebacterium species. The test is also useful to identify Cryptococcus, Brucella, Helicobacter pylori, and many other bacteria that produce the urease enzyme. Disks are available that combine urea and phenylalanine deaminase (PDA), allowing a one-disk test to identify Proteus, Providencia, and Morganella and to separate them from Klebsiella and Yersinia enterocolitica. The disk reactions are rapid and sensitive and allow for the rapid detection of agents of serious infections, g., Brucella, and Cryptococcus.
What bacteria are tested for urea?
The test is also useful to identify Cryptococcus, Brucella, Helicobacter pylori, and many other bacteria that produce the urease enzyme. Disks are available that combine urea and phenylalanine deaminase (PDA), allowing a one-disk test to identify Proteus, Providencia, and Morganella and to separate them from Klebsiella and Yersinia enterocolitica.
What is the purpose of urea test?
Urease test is used to identify organisms that are capable of hydrolyzing urea to produce ammonia and carbon dioxide.
What is the sole source of nitrogen in a urea test?
During the test, the organisms utilize urea as the sole source of nitrogen, producing a sufficient amount of ammonia to overcome the buffering capacity of the medium. The change in color of the medium as a result of the change in pH is indicative of the test result.
When was the urea agar test developed?
Christensen developed the test in 1946 for the differentiation of enteric bacilli. The urea agar base used for the testing of urease activity is named Christensen Urea Agar after him.
How is agar medium dispensed?
The medium is dispensed into tubes and set in a position to obtain agar slants.
What is a positive urease test?
A positive urease test is considered the presence of Helicobacter pylori. Commercially available urease agar kits are also available. Rapid urease test is can be used to differentiate between the yeasts, Candida albicans, and Cryptococcus neoformans.
What is the Urease test used for?
Urease test can be used as part of the identification of several genera and species of Enterobacteriaceae including Proteus and Klebsiella. It is also useful to identify Cryptococcus species, Brucella, Helicobacter pylori.
How long does it take for urease to produce a positive reaction?
If Stuart’s Urea Broth is used; rapidly urease positive organisms ( Proteus spp., Morganella morganii) will produce a strong positive reaction within 8-24 hours of incubation but delayed positive organisms (e.g., Enterobacter) will not produce a positive reaction due to high buffering capacity of this medium. Urease Test Results.
How long does it take for urea to react?
Organisms that hydrolyze urea rapidly ( Proteus spp., Morganella morganii, and some Providencia stuartii strains) will produce strong positive reactions within 1 or 6 hours of incubation; delayed positive organisms (e.g. Klebsiella spp and Enterobacter species ) will produce weak positive reactions in the slant in 6 hours of incubation which will be intense during further incubation. The culture medium will remain a yellowish color if the organism is urease negative e.g. Escherichia coli.
What is the color of the indicator phenol?
The ammonia combines with carbon dioxide and water to form ammonium carbonate which turns the medium alkaline, turning the indicator phenol red from its original orange yellow color to bright pink. Medium used for urease test: Any urea medium, agar (Christensen’s urea agar), or broth (Stuart’s urea broth).
What enzyme hydrolyzes urea?
Urease is a constitutively expressed enzyme that hydrolyzes urea to carbon dioxide and ammonia. Many organisms especially those that infect the urinary tract, have a urease enzyme that is able to split urea in the presence of water to release ammonia and carbon dioxide. The ammonia combines with carbon dioxide and water to form ammonium carbonate ...
What is the urea test?
A. The urea test is part of the battery of tests to identify the following.#N#Gram-negative enteric pathogens, including Yersinia spp.#N#Fastidious Gram-negative rods— Brucella, H. pylori, and Pasteurella#N#Gram-positive rods— Corynebacterium and Rhodococcus spp.#N#Yeasts— Cryptococcus spp.
How long to incubate urea broth?
label 2 urea broth tubes w/ the initials of the assigned organisms; aseptically transfer the bacteria to the appropriately labeled urea broth tube; repeat for all cultures, then incubate for 24 hours at 37℃
What is phenol red used for?
phenol red - and it is used to detect the change in pH
Which enzyme is produced by many enteric bacteria, one of which is h. pylori -?
the production of the enzyme urease; which is produced by many enteric bacteria, one of which is h. pylori - which can cause peptic ulcers

Principle
Compositions
- Agar or broth medium
- Phenol red as an indicator
- Urea
- Sodium chloride
What Is Urease Test Used for?
- It is used to detect the presence of H. pylori in tissue biopsy material.
- It is used to differentiate between Candida albicansand Cryptococcus neoformans. The former is urease negative while the latter is urease positive.
- It is performed to identify some Enterobacteriaceae species such as Klesiella and Proteus.
- Urease test is done to identify brucella and Cryptococcus species. (4, 5, and 6)
Preparation and Procedures
- The dry ingredients are dissolved in 100 m distilled water.
- Filter and sterile the dissolved ingredients.
- The agar is suspended in 900 ml distilled water.
- Bring to boil to make sure that the agar is completely dissolved.
Results
- The color of the slant changes from light orange to pink if the organism being tested is positive for urease. On the other hand, the color of the slant remains the same (light orange) if the organism being tested didn’t produce urease enzyme. (2, 4)
Rapid Urease Test
- It is one of the commonly used procedures to check for the presence of Helicobacter pylori. It is widely used because the process is straightforward and cheap. Rapid urease test checks the gastric mucosa for the presence of urease. Before performing a rapid urease test, a procedure like gastric endoscopy and biopsy of stomach lining cells should be performed first. (6, 7)