DCA agar - Deoxycholate Citrate Agar - is particularly useful for the isolation of organisms that cause bacilliary dysentery, salmonella strains that cause food poisoning and Salmonella Paratyphi. It is not so selective for Salmonella Typhi. This growth medium is inhibitory to most gut bacteria, in particular species of the genus Proteus, although these species do survive on DCA agar. It is therefore essential that suspected pathogens must be subcultured on a less inhibitory medium prior to identification. This growth medium is heat-sensitive and should be poured and cooled as soon as possible after addition of the deoxycholate, otherwise it tends to become very soft and difficult to handle.It has a pH of approximately 7.3. Chemical strucutre of citric acid. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Dysentery is an illness involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces. ... Species Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever and foodborne illness. ... Foodborne illness or food poisoning is caused by consuming food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, toxins, viruses, prions or parasites. ... A growth medium is an object in which microorganisms or cells in experience growth. ... Proteus as seen by Andrea Alciato In Greek mythology, Proteus is an early sea-god, one of several deities whom Homer calls the Old Man of the Sea[1], whose name suggests the first, as protogonos is the firstborn. He became the son of Poseidon in the Olympian theogony (Odyssey... The title of this article should be pH. The initial letter is capitalized due to technical restrictions. ...

DCA agar contains: