Rapid urea broth test for yeasts

Abstract

A rapid, miniaturized, urea broth test useful for detecting urease activity of yeasts was compared to Christensen urea agar. All urease-producing yeasts tested were positive on both media; however, 60% were reactive in the urea R broth within 30 min, and the remainder were reactive within 4 hr. This urea multiwell test may be useful as a rapid screening method for detecting urease-producing yeasts recovered from clinical specimens and as an adjunct test with other rapid methods of yeast identification.