Identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci and typing of Staphylococcus epidermidis by a 4 h micromethod.
A new 4 h micromethod (Minibact-S) for identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) important in human medicine, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus, has been investigated. The reproducibility for species identification was 100% and the reproducibility for the single reactions was 95%. When compared to a modified Kloos & Schleifer conventional identification method, discrepant identification was obtained with the Minibact-S in only 8 of 382 clinical and reference strains. The system has been used for typing and biotyping of 201 S. epidermidis strains, and gave a subdivision in 69 different types; 4 related types accounted for 91 (45%) of the isolates, whereas 44 types were represented by only 1 isolate. The discriminatory index was 0.82. In a comparison with other typing methods performed on 81 isolates from 15 patients Minibact-S gave about the same number of types as antibiograms, but in 20% of the patients extra types were obtained with Minibact-S alone compared to antibiogram alone and vice versa. The Minibact-S is of some value in the routine clinical microbiology laboratory as a first screening method for identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci and typing of S. epidermidis in combination with the antibiogram.
Staphylococcus Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark.
J O
JO
Jarløv
B
B
Nissen
V T
VT
Rosdahl
F
F
Espersen
D003030:Coagulase / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D008832:Microchemistry; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000145:classification; D013997:Time Factors
D003030:Coagulase