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Identification ofStaphylococcus epidermidis andStaphylococcus hominis from blood cultures by testing susceptibility to desferrioxamine

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Abstract

Testing susceptibility to desferrioxamine has recently been described as a method for the identification ofStaphylococcus epidermidis. This method was compared to a commercial test and the tube coagulase test for the identification of staphylococci from blood cultures and other fluid specimens. A total of 216 isolates was tested over a 13-month period. Sensitivity of the desferrioxamine test in identifying isolates ofStaphylococcus epidermidis andStaphylococcus hominis was 97.3 %, while specificity was 91.8 %. When isolates displaying discrepant desferrioxamine results were characterized using recently described interpretive criteria, sensitivity and specificity of the desferrioxamine test improved to 100 %. The desferrioxamine test was reliable, inexpensive and simple to perform, and should prove useful in the diagnostic laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia, Australia

    J. A. Lindsay & T. V. Riley

  2. State Health Laboratory Service, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, 6009, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

    M. A. Aravena-Román

  3. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, 6009, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

    M. A. Aravena-Román & T. V. Riley

Authors
  1. J. A. Lindsay
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  2. M. A. Aravena-Román
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  3. T. V. Riley
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Lindsay, J.A., Aravena-Román, M.A. & Riley, T.V. Identification ofStaphylococcus epidermidis andStaphylococcus hominis from blood cultures by testing susceptibility to desferrioxamine. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 12, 127–131 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01967590

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