D/E Neutralizing Agar with Tween is used for the isolation of microorganisms from sanitized environmental surfaces and is not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions in humans.
D/E Neutralizing Agar with Tween was developed by Dey and Engley to neutralize a broad spectrum of disinfectants and preservative antimicrobial chemicals, including quaternary ammonium compounds, phenolics, iodine, chlorine preparations, mercurials, formaldehyde, and glutaraldehyde. D/E Neutralizing media neutralize higher concentrations of residual antimicrobials when compared with other standard neutralizing formulations, such as Letheen media, Thioglycolate media, and Neutralizing Buffer.
Total neutralization of disinfectants is critical. Disinfectant residues can result in a false negative (nogrowth) test. D/E Neutralizing Agar effectively neutralizes the inhibitory action of disinfectant carryover, allowing differentiation between bacteriostasis and true bactericidal action of disinfectant chemicals. This is a critical characteristic to consider when evaluating a disinfectant. D/E Neutralizing Agar with Tween is recommended for use in disinfectant evaluations, environmental sampling (swab and contact plate methods), and testing of water-miscible cosmetics.
