Modified Thayer-Martin agar

Thayer Martin culture medium is used for culturing Neisseria bacteria. It is a chocolate agar with antibiotics included to kill competing bacteria. Both N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis grow on this medium, but when growing N. meningitidis, one usually starts with a normally sterile body fluid (blood or CSF), so a plain chocolate agar is used.

It contains the following: VCN

Vancomycin - kills all Gram Positive organisms

Colistin (polymyxin) - kills all Gram Negative organisms (except Neiserria)

Nystatin - kills all Fungi