Comparison of rabbit and pig plasma in the tube coagulase test.

A total of 627 clinical isolates of Micrococcaceae were characterized accoridng to their ability to coagulate rabbit and pig plasma, produce thermostable nuclease, and anaerobically ferment glucose and mannitol. By using these characteristics, 416 of the isolates were classified as Staphylococcus aureus and 211 as non-S. aureus. All 416 strains produced a 3 to 4+ clot formation in heparinized pig plasma, whereas 415 isolates produced a similar reaction in citrated rabbit plasma. All of the S. aureus strains possessed a thermostable nuclease, whereas only four of the non-S. aureus isolates exhibited this characteristic. The results obtained using heparinized pig plasma were almost identical to those obtained with commercial rabbit plasma.