Misidentification of Brucella spp. from blood culture

Brucella species cause serious infections in humans and animals, and are a potential pathogen used for bioterrorism. Isolation of the pathogen from blood culture is the gold standard for confirmative diagnosis of brucellosis. The rapid detection and identification of the pathogen is vital not only to provide timely treatment but also to avoid laboratory-acquired infection. Conventional microbiological techniques such as API 20NE and automated identification systems can cause misidentification of Brucella species. Only a few articles review the misidentification of Brucella species; however, the consequence of misidentification of Brucella species is serious both for the patient and the laboratory staff. We have reviewed the misidentification of Brucella species by API 20NE and automated identification systems, and highlighted matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI—TOF-MS) and fluorescent in-situ hybridization which can correctly identify Brucella species directly from blood cultures.
Source: Reviews in Medical Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Tags: Bacteriology Source Type: research