COMPARISON OF RAPID YEAST PLUS SYSTEM WITH API 20C SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFICATION OF COMMON, NEW, AND EMERGING YEAST PATHOGENS

The ability to identify yeast isolates by the new enzymatic RapID Yeas t Plus System was compared to the ability to identify yeast isolates b y the API 20C system, A total of 447 yeast isolates representing Blast oschizomyces capitatus, 17 Candida spp,, 5 Cryptococcus spp,, Geotrich um spp,, 2 Hanseniaspora spp,, Hansenula anomala, Hansenula wingei, 3 Rhodotorula spp,, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sporobolomyces salmonicolo r, Trichosporon beigelii, and 2 Prototheca spp, were evaluated, Also, five quality control strains (Candida spp, and Cryptococcus laurentii) with well-documented reactivities by the RapID Yeast Plus System were used, Each isolate was evaluated by both methods with a 48-h culture grown at 30 degrees C on Sabouraud dextrose agar (Emmons modification) by following the recommendations of the manufacturers, The RapID Yeas t Plus System enzymatic reactions were read after 4 h of incubation, a nd the API 20C carbohydrate assimilation identification profiles were obtained after 72 h of incubation, There was good (95.7%) agreement be tween the identifications obtained by the two methods,vith the eight c ommon Candida spp, and with Cryptococcus neoformans, The agreement was lower when the emerging Candida spp, and other yeast-like pathogens w ere tested (79.1 and 75.2%, respectively). These preliminary data sugg est the potential utility of the RapID Yeast Plus System for use in th e clinical laboratory for the rapid identification of common yeast pat hogens as well as certain new and emerging species.