Slime-producing properties of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from blood cultures

• Published in: Clinical microbiology and infection Vol. 4; no. 12; pp. 689 - 694
• Main Authors: Mulder, J.G., Degener, J.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Elsevier Ltd 01.12.1998; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: bacteremia; Bacteriological methods and techniques used in bacteriology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Coagulase-negative staphylococci; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Microbiology; slime production; slime production; Coagulase-negative staphylococci; bacteremia; Drug susceptibility test; Method; Slime; In vitro; Staphylococcus; Pathogenicity; Antibiotic; Production; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Micrococcaceae; Antibacterial agent; Blood culture; Clinical isolate; Comparative study
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.1998.tb00653.x
• ISSN: 1198-743X

To evaluate five methods for the determination of slime-producing properties in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). One hundred and sixty-two strains of CNS considered as ‘contaminants’ and 162 strains associated with ‘bacteremia’ were tested with the tube test with tryptic soy broth, the tube test with brain-heart infusion broth supplemented with 5% sucrose, the Congo red agar method, and the microtiter-plate test with trypan blue and crystal violet, both with tryptic soy broth. Of the 324 strains tested, 188 were negative and 58 were positive with all methods. The remaining 78 strains were positive with one or more methods. There was a significant difference (p<0.001) in slime production between 162 strains of CNS pertaining to ‘bacteremia’ and 162 strains considered as ‘contaminants’, with 84 (51.8%) and 52 (32.8%) positive, respectively. The slime-producing strains were significantly more resistant (p<0.001) to cloxacillin, tobramycin, gentamicin, trimethoprim, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin.