This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Speers, D. J.
Right arrow Articles by Gilbert, G. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Speers, D. J.
Right arrow Articles by Gilbert, G. L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 1998, p. 1032-1034, Vol. 36, No. 4
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Four Methods for Rapid Identification of Staphylococcus aureus from Blood Cultures

David J. Speers,* Thomas R. Olma, and Gwendolyn L. Gilbert

Center for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia

Received 1 October 1997/Returned for modification 12 November 1997/Accepted 5 December 1997

The identification of Staphylococcus aureus directly from blood cultures is clinically relevant, but it requires a test that is both rapid and reliable. Previously, biochemical, immunological, tube coagulase, and thermostable-endonuclease methods have shown variable sensitivity and specificity. Testing directly from blood culture broth has not been described for the latex kit Staphaurex Plus (Murex Diagnostics Ltd.), and the modified conventional tests have not been used with the newer, continuously monitored blood culture systems. In addition, the commercial RAPIDEC staph kit (bioMerieux Vitek, Inc.) has been used to detect S. aureus directly from the Vital blood culture system (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France), but its performance has not been evaluated with other continuously monitored systems. A total of 201 clinical blood cultures (BACTEC 9240 culture system; Johnston Laboratories, Inc.) in which a Gram stain showed gram-positive cocci resembling staphylococci were evaluated prospectively. The Staphaurex Plus kit, the tube coagulase test, the thermostable-endonuclease test, and the RAPIDEC staph kit were compared. The sensitivities were 23, 92, 85, and 98% and the specificities were 99, 100, 93, and 100%, respectively. The RAPIDEC staph kit was the most reliable test, with a diagnostic accuracy comparable to that of the best published results for any of the rapid tests. However, it was the most expensive of the tests and relatively labor-intensive. The tube coagulase test was also sensitive, the simplest to perform, and inexpensive.

* Corresponding author. Phone: (61) 2 9845 6238. Fax: (61) 2 9893 8659. E-mail: lyng{at}cidm.wh.su.edu.au.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 1998, p. 1032-1034, Vol. 36, No. 4
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Mehta, M. S., Paule, S. M., Thomson, R. B., Kaul, K. L., Peterson, L. R. (2009). Identification of Staphylococcus Species Directly from Positive Blood Culture Broth by Use of Molecular and Conventional Methods. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 1082-1086 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ruimy, R., Dos-Santos, M., Raskine, L., Bert, F., Masson, R., Elbaz, S., Bonnal, C., Lucet, J.-C., Lefort, A., Fantin, B., Wolff, M., Hornstein, M., Andremont, A. (2008). Accuracy and Potential Usefulness of Triplex Real-Time PCR for Improving Antibiotic Treatment of Patients with Blood Cultures Showing Clustered Gram-Positive Cocci on Direct Smears. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 2045-2051 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kerremans, J. J., Goessens, W. H. F., Verbrugh, H. A., Vos, M. C. (2008). Rapid Identification of Staphyloccocus aureus in Positive-Testing Blood Cultures by Slidex Staph Plus Agglutination Test. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 395-395 [Full Text]  
  • Qian, Q., Eichelberger, K., Kirby, J. E. (2007). Rapid Identification of Staphylococcus aureus in Blood Cultures by Use of the Direct Tube Coagulase Test. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 2267-2269 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fujita, S.-I., Senda, Y., Iwagami, T., Hashimoto, T. (2005). Rapid Identification of Staphylococcal Strains from Positive-Testing Blood Culture Bottles by Internal Transcribed Spacer PCR Followed by Microchip Gel Electrophoresis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 1149-1157 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lindholm, L., Sarkkinen, H. (2004). Direct Identification of Gram-Positive Cocci from Routine Blood Cultures by Using AccuProbe Tests. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 5609-5613 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Murdoch, D R, Greenlees, R L (2004). Rapid identification of Staphylococcus aureus from BacT/ALERT blood culture bottles by direct Gram stain characteristics. J. Clin. Pathol. 57: 199-201 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chapin, K., Musgnug, M. (2003). Evaluation of Three Rapid Methods for the Direct Identification of Staphylococcus aureus from Positive Blood Cultures. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 4324-4327 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Oliveira, K., Brecher, S. M., Durbin, A., Shapiro, D. S., Schwartz, D. R., De Girolami, P. C., Dakos, J., Procop, G. W., Wilson, D., Hanna, C. S., Haase, G., Peltroche-Llacsahuanga, H., Chapin, K. C., Musgnug, M. C., Levi, M. H., Shoemaker, C., Stender, H. (2003). Direct Identification of Staphylococcus aureus from Positive Blood Culture Bottles. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 889-891 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Garcia, P., Levican, J., Quiroga, T., Montiel, F., Palavecino, E. (2002). CORRESPONDENCE: Direct identification of Staphylococcus aureus from positive blood culture specimens with a rapid test. J Med Microbiol 51: 530-531 [Full Text]  
  • Maes, N., Magdalena, J., Rottiers, S., De Gheldre, Y., Struelens, M. J. (2002). Evaluation of a Triplex PCR Assay To Discriminate Staphylococcus aureus from Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci and Determine Methicillin Resistance from Blood Cultures. J. Clin. Microbiol. 40: 1514-1517 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Oliveira, K., Procop, G. W., Wilson, D., Coull, J., Stender, H. (2002). Rapid Identification of Staphylococcus aureus Directly from Blood Cultures by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization with Peptide Nucleic Acid Probes. J. Clin. Microbiol. 40: 247-251 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • van Griethuysen, A., Buiting, A., Goessens, W., van Keulen, P., Wintermans, R., Kluytmans, J. (1998). Multicenter Evaluation of a Modified Protocol for the RAPIDEC Staph System for Direct Identification of Staphylococcus aureus in Blood Cultures. J. Clin. Microbiol. 36: 3707-3709 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»