OUTER-MEMBRANE PROTEIN PROFILING TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HAEMOPHILUS-AEGYPTIUS AND NON-CAPSULATE HAEMOPHILUS-INFLUENZAE BIOTYPE-III

Outer membrane protein profiling was used to assist in determining the identity of an isolate of Haemophilus spp. that was presumptively ide ntified as non-capsulate Haemophilus influenzae biotype III. The possi bility that this strain was in fact Haemophilus aegyptius was queried because of clinical information and the source of the isolate. Sodium dodecyl-sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to establ ish the identity of the isolate as non-capsulate H. infuenzae biotype III and no H. aegyptius. Generally, protein profiling compared very fa vourably with other standard tests for identifying H. aegyptius: the m ethod was easily and rapidly performed and gave an unequivocal result.