Use of the VITEK 2 system for rapid identification of clinical isolates of staphylococci from bloodstream infections

Staphylococci are an increasing cause of bloodstream infections. Rapid reliable identification of these organisms is essential for accurate diagnosis and prompt effective treatment. We evaluated the ability of the VITEK 2 system (bioMerieux, Inc, Hazelwood, Mo.) to identify these organisms rapidly and accurately. A total of 405 clinically relevant nonduplicate staphylococcal isolates (Staphylococcus aureus, n = 130; coagulase-negative staphylococci, n = 275) collected from blood cultures were tested. VITEK 2 results were considered correct when they were identical to those furnished by the comparison method based on the ID 32 STAPH system (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) plus supplementary manual testing. When discrepancies occurred, isolate identity was verified by molecular typing. The VITEK 2 correctly identified 387 (95.6%) isolates at the species level: 379 (including all but one [99.2%] of 130 S. aureus isolates and 249 of 275 [90.5%] coagulase-negative isolates) were identified by the automated reading; for the other eight, supplemental tests suggested by the manufacturer had to be used. Only one strain (0.2%) was misidentified (Staphylococcus hominis as Staphylococcus epidermidis), and four (1%), all S. epidermidis, were not identified. For the remaining 13 strains (including 10 S. hominis), the VITEK 2 system was unable to discriminate among two species, and no supplemental tests were suggested for conclusive identification. Over 90% of results were obtained within 4 h. These results suggest that the VITEK 2 system can provide rapid, accurate, and reliable species-level identification of staphylococci responsible for bloodstream infections, although there is room for improvement in the identification of certain coagulase-negative species, especially S. hominis.