Identification and biochemical testing of coagulase-positive congulase-positive cocci isolated from human oral cavities by the STAPHYOGRAM kit

Abstract

The STAPHYOGRAM kit system was compared with Kloos' simplified method for identifying coagulase-positive staphylococci isolated from human oral cavities. In addition, we determined whether or not the code numbers in the kit, which purportedly represent biochemical characteristics, correlated with the biological tests.
Gram-positive cocci isolated from oral cavities were first examined for catalase and coagulase activities, DNase production and mannitol fermentation species of the isolates that were positive for these four tests was subsequently confirmed using the STAPHYOGRAM kit.
Of the 34 isolates that were assumed to be strains of Staphylococcus aureus by the first four tests, 31 (91%) were assigned 13 code numbers and identified as S. aureus by the STAPHYOGRAM kit. Code numbers 723346 and 723347 were each represented by 14 strains (45% of the total). The remaining 11 code numbers accounted for less than 9% of the strains. The 13 code numbers were not related to the production of pigment or hemolysin.
However, code numbers 723346 and 723347 were thought to be related to the coagulase type VII since 67 to 80% of the strains with these numbers showed this coagulase type.
These results indicate that the STAPHYOGRAM kit system is useful in the identification and biochemical characterization of S. aureus in oral cavities.