Bile salts mixture is recommended in diverse media like MacConkey Agar, SS Agar, and Violet Red Bile Agar. It increases the selectivity of the media to Enterobacteriaceae by inhibiting Gram-positive bacteria. It is used as a selective agent in culture media for the selective growth of intestinal bacteria like E. coli, other fecal coliforms, and fecal Streptococci. But it is also used as a selective agent in media for the detection of Yersinia enterocolitica, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Vibrio species.
