Comparison of gram stain, DNA probe, and culture for the identification of species of Mobiluncus in female genital specimens.

The detection of species of Mobiluncus in female genital specimens by DNA probe (with whole-chromosomal bacterial DNA), culture, and gram stain were compared by using specimens obtained from hospital patients, college students, and women attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic. Culture purification and speciation required an average of 37 days to complete, whereas the DNA-probe assay required five days. Gram stain was also rapid but did not allow speciation. There was 100% correlation between species identification by DNA probe and by conventional biochemical tests. Gram stain alone detected 90% of the samples that were positive by any method, whereas culture detected 77%-83% and DNA probe detected 52%-83%.