M. Weischer et al., BIOTYPING, PHAGE TYPING, AND O-SEROTYPING OF CLINICAL ISOLATES OF ENTEROBACTER-CLOACAE, APMIS. Acta pathologica, microbiologica et immunologica Scandinavica, 101(11), 1993, pp. 838-844
The purpose of this study was to make an independent evaluation of the
methods of bio-, phage-, and O-serotyping which had been used only in
the laboratory of origin, and to assess the extent of possible cross-
infection of Enterobacter cloacae in a Danish university hospital. The
material consisted of 237 clincial isolates of E. cloacae from the cl
inical microbiology laboratory at Hvidovre Hospital. The typability of
bio-, phage-, and serotyping was 100%, 83%, and 85%, respectively. Re
producibility of serotyping was 90% and of phage typing 96% if two maj
or differences were allowed to differentiate between patterns. O-serot
yping had the highest discriminatory power and combination of all typi
ng methods further increased discrimination. Outbreaks of E. cloacae w
ere not evident in clinical departments, but cross-infections from one
department to another could not be completely ruled out. We concluded
that the combination of bio-, phage- and O-serotyping is sufficiently
discriminating and will be satisfactory in the majority of clinical s
ituations.