Clinical evaluation of repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction using the DiversiLab System for strain typing of vancomycin-resistant enterococci

• Published in: Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease Vol. 54; no. 3; pp. 183 - 187
• Main Authors: Pounder, June I., Shutt, Cheryl K., Schaecher, Barbara J., Woods, Gail L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.03.2006; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; DiversiLab System; Enterococcus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Repetitive sequence-based PCR; Vancomycin-resistant enterococci; Repetitive sequence-based PCR; DiversiLab System; Vancomycin-resistant enterococci; Enterococcus; Typing; Microbiology; Vancomycin; Strain; Infection; Polymerase chain reaction; Resistance; Streptococcaceae; Antibiotic; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Antibacterial agent
• ISSN: 0732-8893; 1879-0070
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2005.08.004

The reliability of the DiversiLab System, an automated method of microbial strain typing using repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR), was evaluated by comparing results with those obtained by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Ninety-five clinical isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE; 13 groups, 2–17 isolates per group) sent to Associated Regional and University Pathologists (ARUP) Laboratories for typing were tested by both methods. Rep-PCR and PFGE results were concordant for 83 isolates: all 32 isolates in 6 of the groups and 51 of the 63 isolates in the other 7 groups. Clustering of the remaining 12 isolates differed. With the DiversiLab System, analysis is objective, and results are available in 4 h, compared with a more subjective analysis and a 2- to 3-day turnaround time for PFGE. The DiversiLab System may be a viable alternative to PFGE for typing VRE in clinical reference laboratories.