title: Evaluation of the MicroScan MICroSTREP plus antimicrobial panel for testing β-hemolytic streptococci and viridans group streptococci.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In order to determine the clinical usefulness of the MicroScan (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, USA) MICroSTREP plus antimicrobial panel (MICroSTREP) for testing antimicrobial susceptibility of β-hemolytic streptococci (BHS) and viridans group streptococci (VGS), we compared the accuracy of MICroSTREP with that of the CLSI reference method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five BHS and 59 VGS isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility to ampicillin, penicillin, cefotaxime, meropenem, erythromycin, clindamycin, levofloxacin, and vancomycin by using MICroSTREP and the CLSI agar dilution method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall essential agreement with regard to minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (within ±1 double dilution) between MICroSTREP and the CLSI reference method was 98.2%, and categorical agreement (CA) was 96.9%. For the BHS isolates, the CA for erythromycin was 96.0%, whereas that for cefotaxime, meropenem, levofloxacin, and vancomycin (for ampicillin, penicillin, and clindamycin; 98.7%) was 100%. For the VGS isolates, the CA for penicillin was 84.7% and that for erythromycin, clindamycin, and vancomycin (for meropenem, 86.5%; for ampicillin, 88.1%; and for cefotaxime and levofloxacin, 96.6%) was 100%. All categorical errors of penicillin and ampicillin in the VGS isolates were minor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The accuracy of MICroSTREP is comparable to that of the CLSI reference method, suggesting that this panel can be effective for testing antimicrobial susceptibility of BHS and VGS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Ju
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uh
authors.forename: In Ho
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Kwan Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Soon Deok
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kap Jun
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D034363:Viridans Streptococci / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic