Comparison of two chromogenic media for selective isolation of vancomycin-resistant enterococci from stool specimens

J Clin Microbiol. 2009 Dec;47(12):4113-6. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00882-09. Epub 2009 Oct 7.

Abstract

Two chromogenic media (Chromagar VRE and chromID VRE [C-ID]) performed equally well in the direct detection of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in stool specimens after an overnight enrichment step and a 48-h incubation period, with a sensitivity of 98.2% (56/57) for both and specificities of 96.5% (195/202) and 97.5% (197/202), respectively. However, assigning discriminatory colony color was sometimes difficult, especially on C-ID. In order to facilitate simple species identification, biochemical key reactions were implemented.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • Chromogenic Compounds*
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • Culture Media / chemistry*
  • Enterococcus / classification
  • Enterococcus / drug effects*
  • Enterococcus / growth & development
  • Enterococcus / isolation & purification*
  • Feces / microbiology*
  • Humans
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / methods
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Vancomycin Resistance* / genetics

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Chromogenic Compounds
  • Culture Media