Effect of antibiotics on the dynamics of color change in Ureaplasma urealyticum cultures

Color change of pH indicators in broth medium is commonly used to quantify growth of ureaplasmas. These organisms differ from other members of the Mollicutes by their ability to hydrolyze urea to CO2 and NH3. This study describes a method which continuously monitors color change in ureaplasmal broth cultures. Using this technique we found: (i) there was a pH-dependent absorbance at 554 nm in ureaplasmal broth medium containing phenol red, (ii) a sigmoidal-shaped color changing curve (absorbance at 554 nm versus time) was produced by metabolizing organisms whereas a linear curve was generated by antibiotic-inhibited ureaplasmas, and (iii) the minimum cell density which elicited a growth-inhibited color change was 1.25 x 10(4) colony-forming units per ml. Other have shown that apparently dead ureaplasmas can cause a color change in broth media. This color change is probably due to the presence of an active urease. This study graphically and quantitatively assesses growth-inhibited color change.