title: Apparent increased prevalence of high-level aminoglycoside-resistant Enterococcus durans resulting from false identification by a semiautomated software system.
abstract: Identification of enterococci by using a semiautomated system (PASCO; Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.) in the AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece, revealed a high proportion of Enterococcus durans, particularly among isolates highly resistant to gentamicin and streptomycin. When 14 isolates were further tested by a conventional biochemical scheme and by PCR, all were reidentified as Enterococcus faecalis. Antibiotic resistance and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns showed that unrelated strains were misidentified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece. atsakris@med.auth.gr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsakris
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Woodford
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pournaras
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Douboyas
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012984:Software; D013307:Streptomycin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005839:Gentamicins; D013307:Streptomycin