How do I locate and identify a Ureaplasma urealyticum colony?
Ureaplasma urealyticum exhibits a colony morphology referred to as an “accretion” colony. The colony is small, 15 to 50 microns in diameter and appears as a brown, crystalline structure (without the application of Dienes stain.) This colony appearance is due to the formation of an ammonium precipitate around and throughout the colony. Begin by scanning the agar surface near the scratch made during sample inoculation and look for the small crystalline colonies. To definitively identify a ureaplasma colony, focus above and below the structure by varying the plane of focus and look for characteristic surface and sub-surface growth.
