[Culture and differentiation of obligatory aerobic gram-negative rods from human material; a scheme for application in routine diagnosis (author's transl)].

The diagnosis of obligately aerobic Gram-negative rods in the clinical laboratory may encounter difficulties since media used for Enterobacteriacae are only partially usable for the diagnosis of this group of bacteria (Psuedomonas, Xanthomonas, Alcaligenes, Achromobacter, Brucella, Bordetella, Flavobacterium, Moraxella, Acinetobacter, and some still unnamed taxa). We have developed a diagnostic scheme, based on recent publications in the field and representing an extension of earlier tables from this and other laboratories, which attempts to classify a maximal number of obligately aerobic Gram-negative rods with a minimal number of tests. The scheme, employed on 4051 strains, used blood agar and MacConkey Agar as isolation media. Growth characteristics on these media and microscopic morphology may be of help, but only the type of growth on Triple Sugar Iron (or Kligler's) Agar is characteristic for the group as a whole (no growth in the butt, alkalinization or no pH change on the slant). A primary identification series employs tests for oxidase (Kovacs), oxidation of glucose and xylose (in OF medium), deoxyribonuclease and indole (in DNase Test Agar with Methyl Green), nitrate reduction (in Indole Nitrite Medium), motility (hanging drop), and fluorescein production (on Flo Agar). Results of Kirby-Bauer antimicrobial sensitivity testing serve as additional (colistin) or confirmatory criteria. Incubation is at 30 degrees C for 24-48 hrs. If a diagnosis is not possible than, a secondary series, including tests for lysine decarboxylase (tablets), 4 hr urease, esculin hydrolysis, growth at 42 C and on SS Agar, gelatin liquefaction, and flagellar staining may have to be used, and read after 4-24 hrs at 30 degrees C. Five tables, drawn up according to oxidase, glucose, and xylose reactions, serve to identify the species or taxa. Biotypes cannot be differentiated. The scheme will need updating as more knowledge of these bacteria will become available.