Detection of group A streptococcal antigen directly from throat swabs with a ten-minute latex agglutination test.

Results obtained with the Culturette brand 10-Minute Group A Strep ID system were compared with culture results to measure the ability of this system to detect group A streptococci directly from more than 800 throat swabs. Our study showed a sensitivity of 92.4% and a specificity of 92.

Automated methods in microbiology: II. Identification and susceptibility testing.

This paper explores in detail three automated systems for microbial identification and susceptibility testing: Autobac, MS-2, and the AutoMicrobic System (AMS). The systems' workings and their capabilities are described. A similar approach is taken with four automated microtiter systems: Sensititre, Sceptor, Micro-Coder II, and Micro Scan.

Automated methods in microbiology: I. Bacterial detection systems.

The rapid and efficient screening of blood and urine specimens for the presence of bacteria is now possible. Bioluminescent, colorimetric, and nephelometric bacterial detection systems are described in this paper. In addition, enzyme immunoassay for bacterial antigens is discussed.