Lab method
Thayer-Martin agar concept
VCN-selective chocolate agar for Neisseria
High-yield clue
Thayer-Martin (VCN) selectively favors Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis while inhibiting normal flora.
Overview
A selective enriched-chocolate-agar concept with added antimicrobials (vancomycin, colistin, nystatin) that suppress competing flora so fastidious Neisseria can be recovered.
Classification
- Selective enriched medium concept
- Chocolate agar base
- VCN antimicrobial supplement
Lab & identification clues
- VCN = vancomycin, colistin, nystatin selection
- Vancomycin suppresses Gram-positives
- Colistin suppresses other Gram-negatives
- Nystatin suppresses yeasts/fungi
Associations
- Neisseria selective isolation vocabulary
- Chocolate agar enrichment link
- Fastidious organism study framing
Commonly confused with
- Chocolate agar (XV factors)
- MacConkey agar
Your notes
Original concept summary for coursework. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e and NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology; reviewed 2026-06. Describes vocabulary and interpretation concepts only; not a lab protocol and not for handling specimens or identifying patient isolates.