Czapek medium


Czapek medium, also called Czapek's agar or Czapek-Dox medium, is a growth medium for propagating fungi and other organisms in a laboratory. It was named after its inventors, Czech botanist Friedrich Johann Franz Czapek and American chemist Arthur Wayland Dox. It was developed to grow Aspergillus niger and Penicillium camemberti. It works well for many saprophytic fungi and soil bacteria such as species of Aspergillus, Candida, Penicillium, and Paecilomyces.
on Czapek agar
Friedrich Czapek's original recipe is as follows:
 on Czapek agar
Arthur Wayland Dox added 2 g of sodium nitrate in his version, to provide a sole source of nitrogen that is inorganic. This makes the medium a selective growth medium as only organisms that can use inorganic nitrogen can grow. Czapek and Dox did not add agar but many recipes add 15 g to make a solid medium.