EVALUATION OF A SEMIAUTOMATED 24-HOUR COMMERCIAL SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFICATION OF ENTEROBACTERIACEAE AND OTHER GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA

semi-automated commercial system (ID 32 E, bioMerieux) for 24-hour ide ntification of Enterobacteriaceae and other gram-negative fermentative and nonfermentative bacteria encountered in diagnostic microbiology w as evaluated. Overall, the system correctly identified 506 (91.5 %) of the 553 strains tested, 94 (17.0 %) strains requiring additional test s for complete identification. Six (1.1 %) strains were misidentified and 33 (6.0 %) strains were not identified. Eight (1.4 %) strains were not present in the database and were misidentified or not identified. The system is a suitable alternative to existing systems for the iden tification of Enterobacteriaceae and other gramnegative bacteria frequ ently encountered in clinical samples.