title: Agreement between visual and automated UniScept API readings.
abstract: The UniScept API system was evaluated for agreement of visual versus automated readings of both its identification panels and its antimicrobial susceptibility panels. The biochemical responses of 340 oxidase-negative and oxidase-positive fermentative bacterial cultures were read both visually and automatically in the UniScept API 20E system. Automated and visual readings agreed with 99.3% of the biochemicals. Of the 45 tests that disagreed, the tests for indole and citrate were most often in disagreement. A total of 470 fermentative and nonfermentative cultures were used in the UniScept MIC system to compare visual and automated readings of susceptibility results with 17 antimicrobial agents. Agreement within +/- 1 dilution occurred with 94.1% of the enteric fermenters and with 91.7% of the other cultures. Comparison of visual and automated readings resulted in very major discrepancies in 0.95% of the readings, with the largest percentage of discrepancies associated with glucose nonfermenters (1.8%). It was felt that an automated reading is an acceptable alternative to a visual reading of the biochemicals but that 0.95% was just within the acceptable range of the 1% allowable very major discrepancies in the automated reading of susceptibilities.
authors.affiliation: Nosocomial Infections Laboratory Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Rhoden
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010783:Photometry; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests