Growth and cultural characteristics of selected bacteria on Cowpea Agar (Vigna unguiculata)

A general purpose solid bacteriological medium, Cowpea Agar (CPA), was prepared from black-eyed cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) for use in classroom non-research practical lessons in microbiology for deprived schools in developing countries. The growth and cultural characteristics of Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter faecalis, Stapylococcus epidermidis and Salmonella typhi were studied on this medium and compared with industrially manufactured Nutrient Agar (NA). There were comparable bacterial population growth and colonial characteristics of the test organisms on the CPA and NA. The CPA could be stored for, at least 3 months, in pulverised form. The cost for preparation of one litre of the medium was 58 times cheaper than the industrially-made NA.   Key words: Cowpea, bacteriological medium, colonial characteristics.