title: Application of the antibiotic batumin for accurate and rapid identification of staphylococcal small colony variants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen causing significant morbidity and mortality. The S. aureus colonies in osteomyelitis, in patients with cystic fibrosis and patients with endoprosthesis rejection frequently have an atypical morphology, i.e. staphylococcal small-colony variants, which form a naturally occurring subpopulation of clinically important staphylococci. Identification of these small colony variants is difficult, because of the loss of typical phenotypic characteristics of these variants.We wanted to improve and simplify the diagnosis of staphylococcal infection using a diagnostic preparation, consisting of 5 μg batumin paper disks. Batumin possesses a unique selective activity against all studied Staphylococcus spp., whereas all other species tested thus far are batumin resistant. We assessed the efficacy of the batumin diagnostic preparation to identify staphylococcal small colony variants, isolated from osteomyelitis patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With the batumin diagnostic preparation, all 30 tested staphylococcal small-colony variants had a growth inhibition zone around the disk of minimum 25 mm, accordant with the inhibition zones of the parent strains, isolated from the same patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The batumin diagnostic preparation correctly identified the small-colony variants of S. aureus, S. haemolyticus and S. epidermidis as belonging to the genus Staphylococcus, which differ profoundly from parental strains and are difficult to identify with standard methods. Identification of staphylococcal small-colony variants with the batumin diagnostic preparation is technically simple and can facilitate practical laboratory work.
authors: Institute of Microbiology and Virology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors: Larisa N
authors: LN
authors: Churkina
authors: Svetlana I
authors: SI
authors: Bidnenko
authors: Guido
authors: G
authors: Lopes dos Santos Santiago
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Vaneechoutte
authors: Lilja V
authors: LV
authors: Avdeeva
authors: Olga B
authors: OB
authors: Lutko
authors: Nadya M
authors: NM
authors: Oserjanskaja
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001706:Biopsy; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000382:microbiology; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000382:microbiology; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D010641:Phenotype; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000187:drug effects; D041162:Staphylococcus haemolyticus / Q000187:drug effects; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009930:Organic Chemicals; C088306:batumin