title: [Candida identification: experiences with the Vitek automated system].
abstract: We report about our experiences obtained with the Vitek system (bioMerieux, Nürtingen) for identification of 1160 clinical Candida isolates. The Vitek system correctly identified 1005 (86.6%) Candida isolates (probability > or = 85%): 776 (66.9%) strains were identified after 24 h of incubation, 229 (19.7%) required 48 h of incubation. In 4.4% (n = 51) we found results with a lower probability (< 85%). After 24 h of incubation 38 (14.6%) of the 260 C. tropicalis isolates tested were misidentified as C. parapsilosis; we obtained the correct results after 48 h of incubation. 104 (9%) isolates were wrongly identified after 48 h of incubation. The majority of these strains (n = 82) were biochemically minimally reactive Candida species. Overall, the Yeast Biochemical Card system provides a reliable method for the rapid, automated identification of medically important Candida species.
authors.affiliation: Abt. für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Universitätsklinikum Greifswald.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bernhardt
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schröder
mesh_terms: D001331:Automation; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D009172:Mycology / Q000379:methods; D011336:Probability