Evaluation of API 20E strips for identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci from the urinary tract.

A previous study indicated that the API 230E system can identify coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species. A study was devised to evaluate the use of the API 20E system for this purpose. Because of the current interest in Staphylococcus saprophyticus the relationship of the API 20E results to novobiocin susceptibility was also examined. One hundred forty-nine isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci from urine cultures were tested with the API 20E system. The identification of 49 isolates was confirmed by Kloos and Schleifer method. We found that the routine API 20E system did not provide more information than novobiocin susceptibility studies alone, and that there was good but not absolute correlation between novobiocin resistance and identification of S. saprophyticus.

Urinary tract infection due to coagulase-negative staphylococcus.

One hundred and fifty-six urine specimens with a pure culture of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were studied. One hundred and eighteen charts were reviewed for clinical evidence of urinary tract infections. Twenty-four cases of urinary tract infection were found. The younger females in the study tended to have infection due to novobiocin resistant Staphylococcus in contrast to males and older females.

Comparison of a rapid micromedia method to cystine trypticase agar (CTA) and fluorescent methods for the identification of pathogenic Neisseria.

A four-hour micromedia method which detects enzymes formed by bacteria for the degradion of carbohydrates was compared to the utilization of carbohydrates was compared to the utilization of carbohydrates in cystine tyrpticase agar (CTA) for the identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis. This rapid micromedia method (RMM) correlated 100% with the utilization of carbohydrates in CTA. Identification of N. gonorrhoeae by RMM was compared to the identification achieved by a commercially available coagglutination method and a fluorescent antibody (FA) technique. Of 144 isolates identified as N. gonorrhoeae by RMM, 122 (84.7%) were identified by coagglutination and 141 (97.9%) were identified by FA as N. gonorrhoeae. Five (13%) of 40 isolates identified as N. meningitidis by RMM were identified as N. gonorrhoeae by coagglutination while eleven (28%) were identified as N. gonorrhoeae by the FA technique. One (14%) and four (57%) of seven isolates identified as Neisseria species were identified as N. gonorrhoeae by coagglutination and the FA technique respectively. The rapid micromedia method was found to be a quick, sensitive, specific and economic way of identifying N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis.