WHO/CDS/CSR/RMD/2003.

Manual for the Laboratory Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Bacterial Pathogens of Public Health Importance

in the Developing World

Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Salmonella serotype Typhi, Shigella, and Vibrio cholerae

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Manual for the Laboratory Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Bacterial Pathogens of Public Health Importance in the Developing World
Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Salmonella serotype Typhi, Shigella, and Vibrio cholerae

Principal Authors
Mindy J. Perilla, MPH Gloria Ajello, MSHaemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis Cheryl Bopp, MSSalmonella serotype Typhi, Shigella, and Vibrio cholerae John Elliott, PhDHaemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae Richard Facklam, PhDHaemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae Joan S. Knapp, PhDNeisseria gonorrhoeae Tanja Popovic, MD PhDHaemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis Joy Wells, MSSalmonella serotype Typhi, Shigella, and Vibrio cholerae Scott F. Dowell, MD MPH Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

This manual was prepared by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Infectious Diseases and World Health Organization: Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response

 World Health Organization 2003 This document is not a formal publication of the World Health Organization (WHO), and all rights are reserved by the Organization. This document may, however, be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced and translated, in part or in whole, but not for sale or for use in conjunction with commercial purposes. The views expressed in documents by named authors are solely the responsibility of those authors. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this document, including tables and maps, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the secretariat of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters.

Additional copies of this book can be obtained from either: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Respiratory Diseases Branch Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases National Center for Infectious Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road, NE MailStop C-23 Atlanta, Georgia 30333 USA Fax: (+1) 404 639 3970 or: CDS Information Resource Centre World Health Organization 1211 Geneva 27 Switzerland Fax: (+ 41) 22 791 4285 E-mail: cdsdoc@who.int

Acknowledgements

his laboratory manual was prepared by the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland and World Health Organization/African Regional Office (WHO/AFRO), Harare, Zimbabwe. The document was compiled and edited at CDC by Mindy J. Perilla, MPH, with major contributions of thought and time by principal authors Gloria Ajello, MS; Cheryl Bopp, MS; John Elliott, PhD; Richard Facklam, PhD; Joan S. Knapp, PhD; Tanja Popovic, MD, PhD; and Joy Wells, MS; and medical epidemiologist Scott F. Dowell, MD, MPH. Additional special thanks go to Fred C. Tenover, PhD for key contributions to the methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing; performance standards comply with those set by NCCLS. CDC Ron Ballard Melinda Bronsdon James Gathany Christopher Jambois Leslye LaClaire Lynne McIntyre Eric Mintz Susanna Schmink Anne Schuchat Benjamin Schwartz Yvonne Stifel J. Todd Weber USAID Andrew Clements Anthony Boni Deborah Lans Michael Zeilinger Robert S. Pond (USAID/Ghana) WHO Bradford A. Kay (WHO/AFRO) Rosamund Williams (WHO) Philip Jenkins (WHO) Claus C. Heuck (WHO) Antoine Kabore (WHO/AFRO) Wondi Alemu (WHO/AFRO) Claire-Lise Chaignat (WHO)

Acknowledgements | iii

South African Institute for Medical Research Keith A. Klugman Robin Huebner Anne von Gottberg Zimbabwe National Public Health Laboratory Bekithembga Mhlanga Vladanka Rasevski Eileen Burke (DANIDA) Munyaradzi Chipfupa Alexander Dzapasi Monica Kureva Owen Tafirenyika Mandisodza Joshua Mandozana Maqhawe Ndlovu Gladys Nyamimba Lazarus Manenji Zawaira

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical ResearchGhana David Ofori-Adjei Patience Akpedonu Kwaku Owusu-Darko Komfo Anokye Teaching HospitalKumasi, Ghana Ohene Adjei University of Ghana Medical SchoolAccra, Ghana Mercy Newman Tropical Diseases Research CentreZambia Mathias Tembo Danish Veterinary Laboratory Copenhagen, Denmark

International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh G. Balakrish Nair Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (GASP) Jo-Anne DillonUniversity of Ottawa, Canada GASP for Latin America and the Caribbean John TapsallUniversity of New South Wales, Australia GASP for Western Pacific Region Additional thanks to: AB Biodisk, Sweden for their permission to include the Etest reference figures Lippincott Williams & Wilkinsfor permission to include the lumbar puncture figure ThermoIECfor permission to include the nomograph to calculate relative centrifugal force

iv | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Contents

I. Introduction II. Requirements of a Reference Laboratory

1 3

Bacterial Agents of Pneumonia and Meningitis

III. Haemophilus influenzae
Confirmatory identification Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Data for decision-making

5
5 13 27

IV. Neisseria meningitidis

Confirmatory identification Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Data for decision-making

29
30 38 43

V. Streptococcus pneumoniae
Confirmatory identification Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Data for decision-making

45
46 53 62

Sexually Transmitted Pathogen for which there are Increasing Antimicrobial Resistance Concerns
VI. Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Presumptive identification Confirmatory identification Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Data for decision-making

63
64 67 82 101

Contents | v

Bacterial Agents of Enteric Diseases of Public Health Concern

VII. Salmonella serotype Typhi
Identification Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Data for decision-making

103
104 111 118

VIII. Shigella
Identification Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Data for decision-making: Informed epidemic response

121
121 130 139

IX. Vibrio cholerae

Identification Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Data for decision-making: Informed epidemic response

141
142 151 159

X. Conclusion XI. Appendices

1. Standard Safety Practices in the Microbiology Laboratory 2. Media, Reagents, and Quality Control Quality control of media Quality control of reagents Advantages of centralized acquisition of reagents Preparation of media and reagents Media for enrichment, identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing Transport and storage media Miscellaneous reagents Preparation of turbidity standards Sources of prepared media and reagents 3. Collection and Transport of Sterile Site Specimens 4. Isolation and Presumptive Identification of Agents from Normally Sterile Sites 5. Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimen Collection & Culture Methodology 6. Serotyping and Quellung Typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae 7. Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing by Broth Microdilution

161

163 169 169 172 173 173 174 199 202 209 214 219 227 251 255 259

vi | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

8. Specimen Collection and Primary Isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae 9. Fecal Specimens: Collection, Transport, and Field Supplies 10. Laboratory Processing of Fecal Specimens 11. Preservation and Storage of Isolates 12. Packing and Shipping of Diagnostic Specimens and Infectious Substances 13. Manufacturer, Supplier, and Distributor Contact Information 14. International Reference Laboratories 15. Selected References

263 275 287 299 309 325 333 337

| vii

List of Tables

Table 1. 2. 3. 4.

Title Identification of Haemophilus species by their growth requirements Antimicrobial susceptibility test breakpoints and quality control (QC) ranges for Haemophilus influenzae Carbohydrate utilization by some species of Neisseria and Moraxella Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges for quality control of Neisseria meningitidis antimicrobial susceptibility testing Antimicrobial susceptibility test breakpoints and quality control (QC) ranges for Streptococcus pneumoniae Results of biochemical and enzymatic tests for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and related species with similar colonial morphology Examples of quality control (QC) strains for supplemental tests used to identify Neisseria gonorrhoeae Phenotypic designations of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Acceptable limits for minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and inhibition zone diameters for quality control strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antimicrobial susceptibility test breakpoints and quality control (QC) ranges for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) critical values for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and appropriate laboratory response Typical reactions of Salmonella spp. in screening biochemicals Antimicrobial agents suggested for use in antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Salmonella ser. Typhi

Page 10 19 36 42

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

58 70 71 88 97

10. 11. 12. 13.

98 100 110 113

List of Tables | ix

Table 14.

Title Antimicrobial susceptibility test breakpoints and quality control (QC) ranges for Enterobacteriaceae (for selected antimicrobial disks appropriate for Salmonella ser. Typhi) Reactions of Shigella in screening biochemicals Subgroup and serotype designations of Shigella Antimicrobial agents suggested for use in antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Shigella Antimicrobial susceptibility test breakpoints and quality control (QC) ranges for Enterobacteriaceae (for selected antimicrobial disks appropriate for Shigella) Reactions of Vibrio cholerae in screening tests Agglutination reactions in absorbed antiserum of serotypes of Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 Antimicrobial agents suggested for use in antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 Interpretive standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Vibrio cholerae with selected antimicrobial disks Composition of McFarland turbidity standards Partial listing of materials and suppliers / manufacturers Submission of tubes of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to laboratories based on the number of tubes collected from the patient A checkerboard typing system for Streptococcus pneumoniae Concentrations of antimicrobial agents used in minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing Conditions affecting the growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Specimen collection procedures for the laboratory diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Colonial morphology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and related species on gonococcal selective media Materials needed to collect, transport, and test specimens from dysentery outbreaks for laboratories at the district level, the regional level, and the national (central) reference level Materials needed to collect, transport, and test specimens from cholera outbreaks for laboratories at the district level, the regional level, and the national (central) reference level

Page 117

15. 16. 17. 18.

125 130 133 136

19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.

146 150 153 158 211 215 223 258 260 264 266 270

Collection and transport of fecal specimens for laboratory diagnosis 276 282

33.

284

x | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Table 34. 35. 36a. 36b.

Title Appearance of Salmonella ser. Typhi colonies on selective plating media Appearance of Shigella colonies on selective plating media Summary of labels and markings required for safe and proper shipping of different types of packages Description of individual labels and markings required for safe and proper shipping of different types of packages

Page 290 293 312 313

List of Tables | xi

List of Figures

Figure Title 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Flowchart for laboratory identification of Haemophilus influenzae Techniques to properly mix antiserum and suspension for slide agglutination Growth factor requirements: X and V factors on paper disks Growth factor requirements: Haemophilus Quad ID plate Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Haemophilus influenzae The antimicrobial susceptibility disk diffusion test: disk placement and measurement of inhibition zone diameters Proper placement of Etest strips on dry, inoculated plates Guidance for reading Etest results Flowchart for laboratory identification of Neisseria meningitidis Kovacs oxidase test: a positive reaction on filter paper Positive and negative agglutination reactions on a slide: grouping antisera and saline control with Neisseria meningitidis Cystine trypticase agar sugar reactions for acid production from carbohydrates by Neisseria meningitidis Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Neisseria meningitidis A properly streaked blood agar plate with pneumococci and viridans streptococci Flowchart for laboratory identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae Optochin susceptibility test for identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Page 6 9 11 12 15 18 22 23 31 33 35 37 39 47 48 49

List of Figures | xiii

Figure Title 17. Positive and negative results of the bile solubility test 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Streptococcus pneumoniae Flowchart for isolation and presumptive identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Kovacs oxidase test: a positive reaction on a swab Flowchart exhibiting one algorithm for confirmatory identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Positive and negative reactions in superoxol (30% H2O2) and catalase (3% H2O2) reagents Positive and negative results of the polysaccharide-production test on sucrose medium Acid production commercial test kit results for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and related organisms Reactions of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and related organisms in a commercial enzyme substrate test Schematic representation of the nitrate reduction test Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Disk diffusion testing: disk placement for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and measurements of inhibition zone diameters Flowchart for the isolation and identification of Salmonella serotype Typhi Sample worksheet for Salmonella serotype Typhi test results Salmonella ser. Typhi colonies on triple sugar iron (TSI) agar Use of a bent loop to dispense small amounts of antiserum for slide agglutination tests Flowchart of the general procedure for antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disk diffusion Inoculation of Mueller-Hinton medium for antimicrobial susceptibility tests Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Salmonella ser. Typhi Flowchart for the isolation and identification of Shigella Sample worksheet for Shigella test results

Page 51 54 66 67 69 73 76 78 80 83 92 96 106 107 109 112 114 116 119 123 124

xiv | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Figure Title 38. Reaction typical of Shigella in Kligler iron agar (KIA): alkaline slant and acid butt 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59a. 59b. 60. Motility medium showing a non-motile organism in the left tube and a motile organism (seen as clouding) in the right tube Reactions in urea medium Reactions in lysine iron agar (LIA) medium Serologic identification: agglutination reactions of Shigella Sample results of the disk diffusion assay Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Shigella isolates Flowchart for the isolation and identification of Vibrio cholerae Sample worksheet for Vibrio cholerae test results A positive string test with Vibrio cholerae Reactions of Vibrio cholerae in Kligler iron agar (KIA) and triple sugar iron agar (TSI) Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Vibrio cholerae Flowchart procedure for preparation and quality control of the 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard Comparison of the 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard with inoculum suspension Background lines for viewing turbidity of a suspension in comparison to a turbidity standard Collection of blood from an arm Kit for collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by lumbar puncture Proper streaking and growth of Neisseria meningitidis on blood agar Proper streaking and growth of Streptococcus pneumoniae on blood agar Proper streaking and growth of Haemophilus influenzae on chocolate agar Growth of Salmonella ser. Typhi on MacConkey agar Growth of Salmonella ser. Typhi on blood agar Presumptive identification of Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae

Page 126 127 127 129 131 137 138 143 144 147 148 157 210 211 212 222 224 225 230 230 231 231 231 233
List of Figures | xv

Figure Title 61. Growth of Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae on sectioned blood agar and chocolate agar plates 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae colonies growing on the same chocolate agar plate Sample worksheet for the presumptive laboratory identification of bacterial agents of pneumonia and meningitidis Alpha, alpha-prime, and beta hemolysis on sheep blood agar Haemophilus influenzae colonies on chocolate agar Overnight growth of Neisseria meningitidis on blood agar and chocolate agar Streptococcus pneumoniae colonies on blood agar Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus growing together on the same blood agar plate Gram stain of Salmonella ser. Typhi Nomograph for calculation of relative centrifugal force (RCF) Processing of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Gram stain of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with Neisseria meningitidis Gram stain of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with Streptococcus pneumoniae Gram stain of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with Haemophilus influenzae Trans-Isolate (T-I) medium Collection of a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab A Quellung reaction Streaking a plate with a specimen swab for primary isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Z-streak inoculation method Colonial morphology typical of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Gram stain and simple single Loefflers methylene blue stain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Cary-Blair semisolid transport medium Sample data sheet for collecting and recording patient information with stool specimens during a diarrheal outbreak Salmonella ser. Typhi colonies on bismuth-sulfite (BS) agar

Page 233

234 235 236 237 238 239 239 240 241 243 245 245 246 247 253 257 271 272 273 277 280 290

xvi | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Figure Title 84. Method of streaking plating medium for isolation of Shigella and Vibrio species 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. Shigella dysenteriae 1 colonies on xylose lysine desoxycholate (XLD) agar Shigella flexneri colonies on xylose lysine desoxycholate (XLD) agar Shigella flexneri and Escherichia coli colonies on xylose lysine desoxycholate (XLD) agar Shigella flexneri and Escherichia coli colonies on MacConkey (MAC) agar Growth of Vibrio cholerae on thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose (TCBS) agar Silica gel packets for transport (and short-term storage) Proper packing and labeling of the secondary container for shipping of infectious substances Proper packing and labeling of the secondary container for shipping of diagnostic specimens Information required for proper completion of the Shippers Declaration for Dangerous Goods form

Page 292 293 294 294 295 296 301 319 320 323

List of Figures | xvii

List of Abbreviations Used in This Document

APW ASM ATCC BS BSL CDC CFU CSF CTA DCA DE DGR GC GN HE HIA Hib HTM IATA ICAO ICG KIA LIA MAC MIC ML

Alkaline peptone water American Society for Microbiology American Type Culture Collection Bismuth sulfite agar Biosafety level Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Colony forming units Cerebrospinal fluid Cystine trypticase agar Desoxycholate citrate agar Dorset egg medium Dangerous Goods Regulations (publication) Neisseria gonorrhoeae (or, gonococcus) Gram-negative broth Hektoen enteric agar Heart infusion agar Haemophilus influenzae serotype b Haemophilus test medium International Air Transport Association International Civil Aviation Organization International Collaboration on Gonococci Kligler iron agar Lysine iron agar MacConkey agar Minimal inhibitory concentration Martin-Lewis medium
Abbreviations | xix

MTM NAD NCCLS

NP PBS QC RCF SEL SIM SPS SS STGG STI TCBS T-I TSA TSB TSI UN WHO XLD

Modified Thayer-Martin medium Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (V factor) Formerly known as the National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards, NCCLS is an international, interdisciplinary, nonprofit, educational organization that develops updated consensus standards and guidelines for the healthcare community on an annual basis. Nasopharyngeal Phosphate buffered saline Quality control Relative centrifugal force (measured in xg) Selenite broth Sulfide-indole-motility medium Sodium polyanetholesulfonate Salmonella-Shigella agar Skim-milk tryptone glucose glycerol medium Sexually transmitted infection Thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose agar Trans-isolate medium Tryptone-based soy agar Tryptone-based soy broth Triple sugar iron agar United Nations World Health Organization Xylose lysine desoxycholate agar

xx | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

CHAPTER I

Introduction

espiratory and enteric diseases comprise a substantial proportion of the burden of morbidity and mortality in the developing world; acute respiratory infection and diarrheal illness are the top two killers of children less than five years of age worldwide. Reproductive tract pathogens cause uncomplicated infections of the mucosal membranes; however, if left untreated, infections with these pathogens can also lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancies and infertility, and may facilitate the transmission of HIV. Public health interventions such as access to safe water, improved sanitation, hygiene, immunizations, education, health communication, and access to acute medical care with appropriate case management have contributed to on-going improvements in health, and in social and economic development. One outcome of the increased availability of antimicrobial agents for symptomatic treatment of illness in hospitals and community environments, however, has been the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in pathogens of public health concern. Antimicrobial resistance is an issue of great significance for public health at the global level. However, it is of particular concern in the developing world because fewer affordable and appropriate treatment options are readily available. It has become increasingly important to monitor patterns of resistance as the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial pathogens which contribute significantly to the burden of respiratory, febrile, reproductive tract, and diarrheal illness has declined. Because antimicrobial susceptibility testing is resource-intensive, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that only one or two reference laboratories in a country perform these tests. Until now, however, there has not been a technically appropriate source of standardized information for laboratory detection of antimicrobial resistance that is practical for use in regions with limited resources. This laboratory manual focuses on seven bacterial pathogens of public health importance in the developing world: Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Salmonella serotype Typhi, Shigella, and Vibrio cholerae. Methods for the isolation and identification of each of these bacterial agents from clinical specimens are presented, and
Introduction | 1

standardized antimicrobial susceptibility testing techniques and criteria for interpretation are described. To benefit from the information presented in this manual, laboratorians must have received training in proper basic microbiological techniques and be comfortable with such tasks as sterilization of instruments and media preparation. Flow charts of procedures and color figures of bacterial colonies and typical reactions have been provided as supplements to the text for ease of comparative identification. Procedural accuracy and methodological standardization are critical to the performance of antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and adherence to protocols of quality control is also vital to ensure that test results are valid and meaningful. In order for a laboratory to successfully undertake isolation, identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing responsibilities, it must participate in on-going investments in materials, supplies, media, reagents, and quality control, along with periodic training of personnel and quality assessment or proficiency testing. Any deviations from antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods as described in the following pages may invalidate the test results. Antimicrobial susceptibility test methods must be performed as described according to internationally recognized clinical guidelines such as those provided by NCCLS (an international, interdisciplinary, nonprofit, educational organization that develops updated consensus standards and guidelines for the healthcare community on an annual basis) in order to provide meaningful results for clinical and epidemiological interpretation. Laboratory staff must be afforded the appropriate time and resources to carry out the procedures described in this manual if the results are to be meaningful and applicable to clinical and policy decisions. As resistance to antimicrobial agents in the pathogens causing these diseases grows and changes, strategies of response also must evolve. Resistant pathogens can translate to fewer treatable infections and thus higher morbidity and mortality, a drain on resources, and an obstacle to social, economic, and health development overall. Timely communication between the laboratory and public health officials is essential to the shaping of locally treatment appropriate policies; the data collected in the laboratory are crucial components of the decision-making process for clinical and public health policies.
Mindy J. Perilla, MPH Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases National Center for Infectious Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

CHAPTER II

Requirements of a Reference Laboratory

FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF STANDARDIZED ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING

reference laboratory differs from a clinical laboratory in that microbiologists are able to dedicate their time to confirmation and investigation of isolates sent in from other laboratories or hospitals and (for the purposes of this manual) then perform standardized antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This manual is written and intended for use in a reference laboratory or national central laboratory setting, where material resources are consistently quality controlled and available in sufficient quantities for regular testing of isolates. Reference laboratories must participate in a quality assurance program at least once per year and should also administer quality assurance programs for laboratories in their jurisdiction; the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages central public health laboratories in countries with limited resources to establish national quality assessment schemes and to participate in at least three surveys per year. Time, supplies, and personnel can be costly; as a result, it is anticipated that not every country will be able to support a reference laboratory meeting these requirements. A country that can not establish a reference laboratory should consult a regional or sub-regional reference laboratory for further guidance and for advice on where to send isolates requiring further investigation. In order to carry out the standardized procedures referred to in this laboratory manual (and many others), the laboratory must be able to make ongoing investments in equipment, supplies, and human resources (i.e., trained laboratorians). The Ministry of Health (or similar appropriate agency) should therefore ensure that its central public health laboratory has the following items of great importance:

Requirements of a Reference Laboratory | 3

 Laboratory space Trained laboratory technologists Water (purified either by filter system or distillation apparatus) Stable source of electricity Equipment Water bath Incubator Refrigerator Freezer Autoclave Vortex mixer Labels and/or permanent marking pens Materials for record-keeping (e.g., laboratory log-books, and a computer with printer and Internet / e-mail access) Antimicrobial disks and / or antimicrobial gradient agar diffusion tests (Etests) (depending on the organisms to be tested) Standard laboratory supplies (e.g., plates, tubes, pipettes, flasks, inoculating loops, other glassware or plasticware, rulers, bunsen burners or alcohol burners, pH meter, bleach, alcohol), media and reagents It is also of considerable importance that the reference laboratory have an open line of communication with public health authorities, including ministries of health, professionals in the medical field, and policymakers. If the laboratory is responding to an epidemic that extends across borders, an outside public health agency (e.g., the WHO) may become involved; in such situations, it is significant that data from the laboratory will enable better decision-making for clinical treatment and public health policy in more than one country.

4 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Bacterial Agents of Pneumonia and Meningitis

Bacterial Agents of Pneumonia and Meningitis

Haemophilus influenzae Neisseria meningitidis Streptococcus pneumoniae

CHAPTER III

Haemophilus influenzae
CONFIRMATORY IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING

aemophilus influenzae is a common etiologic agent of diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media, and conjunctivitis. Meningitis caused by H. influenzae occurs almost exclusively in children less than five years of age, and most invasive H. influenzae disease is caused by organisms with the type b polysaccharide capsule (H. influenzae type b, commonly abbreviated as Hib). There are conjugate vaccines to prevent H. influenzae infections caused by serotype b, though they are not widely available in some parts of the world. No vaccines for the other serotypes or for unencapsulated strains have been developed. Although meningitis is the most severe presentation of disease, H. influenzae pneumonia causes more morbidity than H. influenzae meningitis.

Confirmatory identification of H. influenzae

H. influenzae are characterized as small, gram-negative bacilli or coccobacilli that require X and V growth factors, grow on chocolate agar (but not on sheep blood agar), and have a pungent indol smell. Methods for the isolation and presumptive identification of H. influenzae are included in Appendix 4. Figure 1 presents a schematic flowchart of confirmatory identification of H. influenzae.

Identification of the H. influenzae serotype

Laboratory identification of H. influenzae includes testing for X and V factor requirements and then performing serotyping; this sequence of testing is an efficient way to save costly antisera. However, when the laboratory results must be obtained rapidly for clinical decision-making, serotyping should be performed first the prompt presumptive identification of H. influenzae. Isolates identified as H. influenzae with typing antisera should still be confirmed by testing for X and V factor requirements.

Haemophilus influenzae | 5

FIGURE 1: Flowchart for laboratory identification of Haemophilus influenzae

Sterile site specimen (e.g., blood, CSF) from suspect case patient Inoculate chocolate agar and blood agar plates Perform Gram stain on CSF for clinical decision-making

Examination of growth on supplemented chocolate agar shows non-hemolytic, opaque cream-to-gray colonies. (Sheep blood agar shows no growth.) Test growth factor requirements and/or serotype identification

Pleomorphic; small gram-negative bacilli, coccobacilli and filaments

Other morphology or staining characteristics = not H. influenzae

Serotyping by slide agglutination

Test for growth factor requirements (by XV disks or Quad ID plate)

Confirm identification

Saline control plus H. influenzae polyvalent antiserum

negative

positive

Does not require both X and V Factors to grow = not H. influenzae

Requires both X and V Factors to grow = H. influenzae

No agglutination reaction in polyvalent antiserum or saline control; test for growth factor requirements
Isolate may be non-typeable (NT) or it may not be H. influenzae

H. influenzae polyvalent antiserum positive

If agglutination occurs in the saline control, the isolate is non-typeable. Confirm identification as H. influenzae with growth factor requirements.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on Haemophilus Test Medium (HTM)

a

Serotype-specific H. influenzae antisera a,b

Test for serotype b if rates of Hib vaccination in the region are low. b Test with remaining antisera to identify other serotypes.

6 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

H. influenzae is currently recognized to have six serotypes: a, b, c, d, e, and f. H. influenzae type b (Hib) is the major cause of both H. influenzae meningitis and of meningitis overall in unvaccinated children in many parts of the world. Suspected Hib isolates should be tested with Hib antiserum, an antiserum to one of the other groups, and saline. A strongly positive (3+ or 4+) agglutination reaction with type b antiserum and no agglutination with antiserum to the other serotypes and saline is rapid evidence of Hib.1 Antisera should be stored in the refrigerator at 4C when not in immediate use. Screening an isolate first with polyvalent antiserum (which contains antisera to all six recognized serotypes) and a saline control is convenient and saves resources (i.e., type-specific antisera). If an isolate is positive in polyvalent antiserum and negative in the saline control, proceed by testing the isolate with type b antiserum if Hib vaccination is uncommon in the patients geographic region. If the serotype b reaction is negative, test with the remaining type-specific antisera (i.e., a, c, d, e, and f). If Hib disease is unlikely because of widespread vaccination, the culture should be tested with all the type-specific antisera (i.e., a through f). If an isolate is non-agglutinating in the polyvalent antiserum, it is either non-typeable or is not H. influenzae. Therefore, growth factor requirements must be determined to confirm the identity of the isolate as H. influenzae or another species of Haemophilus. Slide agglutination test for serotyping suspected H. influenzae isolates a) Clean a glass slide with alcohol (optional if slides are pre-cleaned). Divide the slide into equal sections (e.g., three 25-mm [1-inch] sections for a 25-mm x 75-mm [1-inch x 3-inch] slide) with a wax pencil or other marker. b) Collect a small portion of growth from the surface of an overnight culture on chocolate agar (without bacitracin), a Haemophilus ID plate, or Haemophilus test medium (HTM) plate with a sterile inoculating loop. Make a moderately milky suspension of the test culture in a small vial with 250 l (0.25 ml) of formalinized physiological saline. Vortex the suspension, if possible. If only working with several isolates, another option is to make the suspension directly on the slide in 10 l of formalinized physiological saline per droplet.

1 Laboratorians are often tempted to test suspect H. influenzae isolates only with type b antiserum since because serotype b (Hib) is vaccine preventable; however, it is of great importance to screen the isolate with a saline control and at least one other antiserum in addition to type b. Observing agglutination reactions with several antisera in different portions of the same slide permits comparisons and provides evidence that any agglutination in type b antiserum is not just a mild cross-reaction with a different serotype, providing the laboratorian and clinician with a more informed definition of a positive reaction.

Haemophilus influenzae | 7

 It is not necessary to make a standard suspension for slide serology; however, it should be noted that a moderately milky suspension is roughly comparable to a 6 McFarland turbidity standard. c) For the agglutination reaction, use a micropipettor or a bacteriologic loop to transfer a drop (510 l) of the cell suspension to the lower portion of two sections of the slide prepared in step a, above. Use enough suspension in the droplet so that it does not dry on the slide before testing with the antisera. d) Add 510 l of polyvalent antiserum above the drop of suspension in one of the test sections on the slide.2 In an adjacent section of the slide, use the same method to add a (510 l) drop of saline above the final drop of suspension. The loop used in the antiserum must not touch either the cell suspension or the other antisera being tested; if it does, it must not be placed back into the source bottle of antiserum. If the source antiserum is contaminated, a new bottle must be used. e) Using a separate toothpick (or sterile loop) for each section, mix the antiserum (and control saline) with the corresponding drop of cell suspension. Avoid contamination across the sections of the slide. f) Gently rock the slide with a back and forth motion for up to 1 minute. Do not use a circular motion while rocking, because it can cause the mixtures to run together and contaminate each other. After one minute of rocking, observe the mixed drops and read the slide agglutination reactions under bright light and over a black background, as shown in Figure 2. g) Only strong agglutination reactions (3+ or 4+) are read as positive. In a strong reaction, all the bacterial cells will clump and the suspension fluid will appear clear (see Figures 11 and 42). When a strain reacts with more than one antiserum, or agglutinates in saline, the result is recorded as non-typeable. If strong agglutination occurs in the polyvalent antiserum: Using the methods described in steps a through f (above), continue testing the isolate with type b antiserum and other type-specific antisera to identify the serotype. If agglutination does not occur in the polyvalent antiserum: The isolate is either non-typeable or not H. influenzae. Continue by testing the isolate for X and V growth factor requirements to confirm identification as H. influenzae.

2 This laboratory manual suggests using a micropipettor or a loop to transfer antiserum from the bottle to the slide (rather than the dropper provided with the bottle of antiserum) because they conserve costly antiserum resources. (Micropipettors permit the precise measurement of antiserum, and the loop method collects only approximately 510 l of antiserum on average; in contrast, the dropper transfers several times this amount in each drop.) Because only 510 l of antisera are required for agglutination reactions to occur using the methods presented here, using a micropipettor or a loop to transfer antiserum from the bottle to the slide is more cost-effective.

8 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

 If agglutination occurs in the saline control: The isolate is recorded as non-typeable. Continue by testing the isolate for X and V growth factor requirements to confirm identification as H. influenzae. Record results and report to attending clinicians, as appropriate.

Growth factor (X and V) requirements

H. influenzae is a fastidious organism requiring media containing haemin (X factor) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD, V factor) for growth. The standard medium is chocolate agar, which is often prepared with horse blood, a good source of both X and V factors (Appendix 2). Heating the blood is necessary to make both factors available to the organism. Chocolate agar with added supplements (e.g., IsoVitaleX, Supplement B, or Vitox) is available commercially or can be prepared in the laboratory. Supplemented chocolate agar is superior to unsupplemented medium for growth of H. influenzae and is the medium of choice. Although some strains of H. influenzae may grow on unsupplemented chocolate agar, supplements must be added to reliably support the growth of most strains. H. influenzae is identified on the basis of its growth requirements for X and V factors (Table 1). H. influenzae can be differentiated from most other species of Haemophilus by its requirement for both X and V factors for growth.
FIGURE 2: Techniques to properly mix antiserum and suspension for slide agglutination

antiserum suspension

Gently rock the slide back and forth for slide agglutination reactions.

Haemophilus influenzae | 9

H. haemolyticus is the only other species requiring X and V factors but this species differs from H. influenzae by producing hemolysis on horse- or rabbit blood agar. Tests to identify X and V growth factor requirements: paper disks and strips or Quad ID plates Growth factor requirements can be identified with paper disks or strips (using the principles of agar diffusion) or by using Quad ID plates (which contain four types of media with and without X and V factors). Growth factor test using X, V, and XV factor paper disks or strips A medium completely without X and V factors, such as tryptone-based soy agar (TSA) or heart infusion agar (HIA), must be used for this test. Methods a) Prepare a heavy suspension of cells (1 McFarland turbidity standard, see Appendix 2) from a primary isolation plate in a suitable broth (e.g., tryptone-based soy broth (TSB) or heart infusion broth). If the primary isolation plate contains insufficient growth or is contaminated, make a subculture on a chocolate agar plate. When preparing the broth avoid transfer of agar medium to the broth; even the smallest sample of agar will affect the test and may lead to misidentification of the bacteria because the agar contains X and V factors. b) Inoculate a HIA or TSA plate. A sterile swab or sterile loop of the suspension should be streaked over one-half of the plate (with streaking in at least two directions to ensure confluent growth). Two strains can be tested on one 100-mm plate, but care must be taken to ensure the isolates do not overlap. Paper strips or disks containing X, V, and XV factors are placed on the inoculated plate after the inoculum has dried. When two bacterial strains are tested on the same plate, as shown in Figure 3, the disks should be placed in the exact manner shown. c) Carefully invert the plate and place it in a CO2-incubator or candleextinction jar. Incubate it for 1824 hours at 35C. H. influenzae will grow
TABLE 1: Identification of Haemophilus species by their growth requirements Species H. influenzae H. parainfluenzae * H. haemolyticus H. parahaemolyticus H. aphrophilus H. paraphrophilus * X- and V-Factor Requirements -hemolysis on X V rabbit blood agar + + + + + + + + + + * H. paraphrophilus is ornithine negative, whereas H. parainfluenzae is ornithine positive.

10 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

only around the XV disk (i.e., the disk containing both X and V factors), as shown on the upper half of the plate in Figure 3. Growth factor test using Haemophilus Quad ID Plates Quad ID plates are another, although more expensive, method for determining growth factor requirements of Haemophilus isolates (Figure 4). Available commercially, the Quad ID plate is divided into four agar quadrants: one quadrant includes medium containing haemin (X factor); one quadrant includes medium containing NAD (V factor); another quadrant contains medium that includes both X and V factors; and, the final quadrant contains heart infusion agar or blood agar base with 5% horse blood for differentiating H. haemolyticus, an oral species requiring X and V factors, from H. influenzae. Quadrant location of the growth factors may vary with commercial brand of the Quad ID plate.
FIGURE 3: Growth factor requirements: X and V factors on paper disks

The top strain is only growing around the disk containing both X and V factors and can therefore be considered presumptive H. influenzae.

Haemophilus influenzae | 11

FIGURE 4: Growth factor requirements: Haemophilus Quad ID plate

X Factor Only X and V Factors

V Factor Only

HIA with horse blood (shows hemolytic reactions)

The Quad ID plate is divided into four compartments. One quadrant (upper left) includes medium containing haemin (X factor). One quadrant (lower left) includes medium containing nicotinamide dinucleotide (NAD, or V factor). Another quadrant (upper right) contains medium that includes both X and V factors. The fourth quadrant (lower right) contains heart infusion agar (HIA) with 5% horse blood to detect hemolytic reactions of Haemophilus species.

Methods a) Inoculate the Quad ID plate by suspending the growth from a young, pure culture of suspected Haemophilus in tryptone soy broth (TSB) or distilled water to a light, milky suspension (equivalent to a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard). Using a bacteriological loop, streak one loopful of this suspension on each quadrant of the plate, beginning with the V quadrant and ending with the blood quadrant. Streak the entire quadrant, starting at the periphery and streaking toward the center of the plate. Stab into the blood agar for detection of weak hemolysis.
12 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

b) Invert the plate and incubate under a CO2-enhanced atmosphere (in a candle-jar or CO2-incubator) for 1824 hours at 35C. c) After incubation, examine the blood section for hemolysis and the other sections for growth. H. influenzae typically shows growth in the XV quadrant and in the (horse-) blood quadrant with no hemolysis. If strong growth occurs in either one of the X or V quadrants besides XV, the organism is probably another species of Haemophilus. If growth occurs in every quadrant, the culture is probably not a species of Haemophilus. (Note: Occasionally, H. influenzae may show slight growth in the V-factor quadrant.) Read and record results.

Hemolytic reactions of Haemophilus species

Although most laboratories will not need to determine the hemolytic reaction of each Haemophilus spp. (because too few Haemophilus strains will be isolated), some laboratories may want to determine the hemolytic reaction to definitively identify both H. influenzae and H. haemolyticus. If X, V, and XV factor disks or strips were used to test growth factor requirements, a separate test to detect hemolytic reactions must be performed by inoculating a broth suspension of the strain on HIA + 5% rabbit blood (or agar infusion base containing horse blood); the hemolytic reaction permits determination the species. If a Quad ID plate was used to test for growth factor requirements, the hemolytic reaction of the organism is tested in the (horse-) blood agar quadrant of the plate; thus no separate test is required. H. influenzae should be -hemolytic (i.e., causing a greening in the agar around the colony) or -hemolytic (non-hemolytic) on the HIA plate containing 5% rabbit blood, while H. haemolyticus will exhibit -hemolysis (i.e., a clearing of the blood cells in the agar surrounding the colonies on the plate). A summary of test results used in the identification of H. influenzae and most closely related Haemophilus species is shown in Table 1. Proper determination of the hemolytic reaction is the only way to differentiate H. influenzae from H. haemolyticus.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of H. influenzae

The results of antimicrobial susceptibility tests will be used to select the most effective antimicrobial agent to use for treating patients. This laboratory manual describes susceptibility testing of Haemophilus influenzae by the disk diffusion method and by the antibiotic gradient strip (Etest) testing method. Although disk diffusion will provide information as to whether a strain is susceptible,

Haemophilus influenzae | 13

intermediate, or resistant, the Etest provides more detailed information about the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of an antimicrobial agent. The accuracy and reproducibility of these tests are dependent on following a standard set of procedures and conditions in laboratories on an on-going basis. A sample worksheet for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for H. influenzae is included in Figure 5.

Media and disks for antimicrobial susceptibility testing

Antimicrobial susceptibility can be determined using the disk diffusion method. The disk diffusion method presented in this chapter is a modification of the KirbyBauer technique that has been carefully standardized by NCCLS;3 if performed precisely according to the following protocol, this method will provide data that can reliably predict the in vivo effectiveness of the drug in question. The accuracy and reproducibility of this test are dependent on the consistent use of a standard set of procedures in laboratories. This section describes the optimal media, inoculum, antimicrobial agents to test, incubation conditions, and interpretation of results. The recommended medium for antimicrobial susceptibility testing for H. influenzae is Haemophilus test medium (HTM) (Appendix 2). The MuellerHinton agar used for this test should be thymidine-free to obtain consistent results with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (also referred to as cotrimoxazole). All media used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing should be freshly prepared. Recommended antimicrobial agents for testing are ampicillin, chloramphenicol and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The 10-g ampicillin disk predicts both intrinsic (i.e., penicillin-binding proteinmediated, or PBP) and -lactamase (beta-lactamase) mediated penicillin and ampicillin resistance and should be used when testing H. influenzae. (Methods for -lactamase testing of H. influenzae are listed after the direct antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods in this section.) For H. influenzae, a 30-g chloramphenicol disk is used for predicting resistance to chloramphenicol, and a 1.25/23.75-g trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole disk is used for predicting trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance. The zone diameter sizes can only be properly interpreted when HTM is used, as per NCCLS standards.

Quality control of antimicrobial susceptibility testing of H. influenzae

Quality control tests must be performed as part of the normal laboratory routine. To verify that antimicrobial susceptibility test results are accurate, at least one control organism should be included with each test. H. influenzae ATCC 49247 is
3

Formerly known as the National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards (and now known solely by the acronym), NCCLS is an international, interdisciplinary, nonprofit educational organization that develops updated consensus standards and guidelines for the healthcare community on an annual basis.

14 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Note: After 16 18 hours of incubation, check the results for the quality control (QC) strain against the standard acceptable ranges; if they are within control limits, continue reading results for the test isolate. Record disk diffusion results in mm and MIC results in g/ml. (Inhibition zone ranges and breakpoints for interpretation of results may be found in Table 2.)

Haemophilus influenzae | 15

FIGURE 5: Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Haemophilus influenzae

the control strain used when testing H. influenzae for most antimicrobial agents (e.g., ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), although ATCC 49766 is appropriate for some others. (Consult NCCLS document M100S12 [2002] for more complete information.) Inhibition zone diameters obtained for the control strain should be compared with NCCLS published limits, which are included in Table 2. If zones produced by the control strain are out of the expected ranges, the laboratorian should consider possible sources of error. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests are affected by variations in media, inoculum size, incubation time, temperature, and other environmental factors. The medium used may be a source of error if it fails to conform to NCCLS recommended guidelines. For example, agar containing excessive amounts of thymidine or thymine can reverse the inhibitory effects of sulfonamides and trimethoprim, causing the zones of growth inhibition to be smaller or less distinct. Organisms may appear to be resistant to these drugs when in fact they are not. If the depth of the agar in the plate is not uniformly 34 mm, the rate of diffusion of the antimicrobial agents or the activity of the drugs may be affected. If the pH of the test medium is not between 7.2 and 7.4, the rate of diffusion of the antimicrobial agents or the activity of the drugs may be affected. If the inoculum is not a pure culture or does not contain a concentration of bacteria that approximates the 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard, the antimicrobial susceptibility test results will be affected. For instance, a resistant organism could appear to be susceptible if the inoculum is too light. Also, even if the isolates are susceptible, when colonies from blood agar medium are used to prepare a suspension by the direct inoculum method, trimethoprim or sulfonamide antagonists may be carried over and produce a haze of growth inside the zones of inhibition surrounding trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole disks. Quality control tests should be performed once per week if antimicrobial susceptibility tests are performed daily (after 30 days of in-control results), or with every group of tests when testing is done less frequently. They should also be done with each new batch of test medium and every time a new lot of disks is used.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of H. influenzae by the disk diffusion method

Prepare the inoculum for seeding the antimicrobial susceptibility media with H. influenzae from fresh, pure cultures of H. influenzae (i.e., from isolates grown overnight on supplemented chocolate agar). Prepare cell suspensions of the bacteria to be tested in broth or sterile physiological saline; use a suspension equal to a density of a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard for the inoculum. (Preparation of a McFarland turbidity standard is described in Appendix 2.)
16 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

a) Suspend viable colonies from an overnight chocolate agar plate in a tube of broth to achieve a bacterial suspension equivalent to a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard; be careful not to form froth or bubbles in the suspension when mixing the cells with the broth. This suspension should be used within 15 minutes. b) Compare the suspension to the 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard by holding the suspension and the McFarland turbidity standard in front of a light against a white background with contrasting black lines and compare the density (see Figures 51 and 52). If the density of the suspension is too heavy, the suspension should be diluted with additional broth. If the density of the suspension is too light, additional bacteria should be added to the suspension. c) When the proper density is achieved, dip a cotton swab into the bacterial suspension. Press the swab on the side of the tube to drain excess fluid. d) Use the swab to inoculate the entire surface of the HTM plate three times, rotating the plate 60 degrees between each inoculation (see Figure 34). Use the same swab with each rotated streak, but do not re-dip the swab in the inoculum (i.e., the bacterial cell suspension). e) Allow the inoculum to dry before the disks are placed on the HTM plates. Drying usually takes only a few minutes, and should take no longer than 15 minutes. (If drying takes longer than 15 minutes, use a smaller volume of inoculum in the future.) f) After the plate is dry, antimicrobial disks should be placed on the HTM plate as shown in Figure 6. The disks should be placed on the agar with sterile forceps and tapped gently to insure adherence to the agar. Diffusion of the drug in the disk begins immediately; therefore, once a disk contacts the agar surface, the disk should not be moved. g) Invert the plate and incubate it in a CO2-enriched atmosphere (5% CO2incubator or candle-extinction jar) for 1618 hours at 35C. Note: If this is a new batch of HTM, the antimicrobial disks are new, or it is an otherwise appropriate time to perform quality control, follow steps a through g- above and run parallel tests on the reference strain(s). Appropriate disk diffusion zone sizes for the reference quality control strain (for the antimicrobial agents included in this chapter) are presented in Table 2. h) After overnight incubation, measure the diameter of each zone of inhibition. The zones of inhibition on the media containing blood are measured from the top surface of the plate with the top removed. Use either calipers or a ruler with a handle attached for these measurements, holding the ruler over the center of the surface of the disk when measuring the inhibition zone (Figure 6). Care should be taken not to touch the disk or surface of the agar. Sterilize the ruler occasionally to prevent transmission of the bacteria. In all
Haemophilus influenzae | 17

measurements, the zones of inhibition are measured as the diameter from the edges of the last visible colony. Record the results in millimeters (mm). Figure 5 provides a sample form for recording results. i) Interpretation of the antimicrobial susceptibility is obtained by comparing the results obtained and recorded (in the manner described in this protocol) to the NCCLS standard inhibition zone diameter sizes presented in Table 2.

Minimal inhibitory concentration testing of H. influenzae isolates

Laboratorians determining the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for resistant isolates must be highly skilled in performing these tests and committed to obtaining accurate and reproducible results. In addition, a national (or regional) reference laboratory must have the ability and resources to store isolates either by lyophilization or by freezing at -70C. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disk diffusion indicates whether an organism is susceptible or resistant to an antimicrobial agent. For surveillance purposes, a laboratory may want to quantify intermediate antimicrobial
FIGURE 6: The antimicrobial susceptibility disk diffusion test: disk placement and measurement of inhibition zone diameters

A ruler on a stick can be used to measure zone inibition diameters if calipers are not available.

18 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

TABLE 2: Antimicrobial susceptibility test breakpoints and quality control (QC) ranges for Haemophilus influenzae Antimicrobial agent Chloramphenicol Diameter of zone of inhibition (mm) and equivalent MIC breakpoint (g/ml) a Susceptible Intermediate Resistant > 29 mm
(< 2 g/ml)

Disk potency 30 g

NCCLS QC strain H. influenzae ATCC 49247 b 31 40 mm

(0.25 1 g/ml)

26 28 mm
(4 g/ml)

< 25 mm
(>8 g/ml)

Trimethoprim- 1.25/ 23.75 g sulfamethoxazole (cotrimoxazole) Ampicillin

a

16 mm
(< 0.5/9.5 g/ml)

11 mm 15 mm 10 mm
(1/18 2/36 g/ml) (> 4/76g/ml)

24 32 mm
(0.03/0.59 0.25/4.75 g/ml)

10 g

22 mm
(< 1 g/ml)

19 mm 21 mm 18 mm
(2 g/ml) (> 4 g/ml)

13 21 mm
(2 8 g/ml)

Source: NCCLS (2002) Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing;Twelfth Informational Supplement. NCCLS document M100-S12 [ISBN 1-56238-454-6]. NCCLS 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1400,Wayne, PA 19087-1898 USA. b The quality control strain H. influenzae ATCC 49247 is appropriate for the testing of the antimicrobial agents included in this table and this laboratory manual overall; however, for testing of some other antimicrobial agents, NCCLS recommends that a different QC strain be used. Laboratories testing the susceptibility of H. influenzae to antimicrobial agents other than those listed should therefore refer to the NCCLS document M100-S12 (or subsequent updates) for appropriate methods.

susceptibility test results to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole detected by disk diffusion testing with MIC testing. MIC testing by dilution can be expensive and challenging; because of the technical complexity required for these tests, countries that do not currently do MIC testing by dilution should utilize the international reference laboratory rather than developing the assay in-country. In countries where MIC testing is done at more than one laboratory, standardization and quality control should be conducted as described earlier in this chapter. With increasing antimicrobial resistance testing being performed outside of international reference laboratories, the Etest serves as a test method that is both convenient and reliable.4 The Etest requires less technical expertise than MIC testing by dilution methods, but it gives comparable results. Etest strips must be consistently stored in a freezer at -20C. The Etest is an antimicrobial susceptibility testing method that is as technically simple to perform as disk diffusion and produces semi-quantitative results that are measured in micrograms per milliliter (g/ml). It is drug-specific, consists of a thin plastic antibiotic gradient strip that is applied to an inoculated agar plate, and is convenient in that it applies the principles of agar diffusion to perform semiquantitative testing.5 The continuous concentration gradient of stabilized, dried antibiotic is equivalent to 15 log2 dilutions by a conventional reference MIC procedure as suggested by the
4 The Etest can be expensive; contact the manufacturer (AB BIODISK) to inquire about discounts available for laboratories in resource-poor regions (see Appendix 13).

Haemophilus influenzae | 19

NCCLS. The Etest has been compared with and evaluated beside both the agar and broth dilution susceptibility testing methods recommended by the NCCLS. Authoritative reports indicate that an (approximately) 85% 100% correlation exists between the accepted conventional MIC determinations and the MIC determined by the Etest procedure for a variety of organism-drug combinations (see, e.g, Jorgensen et al. [1994] and Barry et al. [1996] in Appendix 15). Some studies have cited Etest MICs as approximately one dilution higher than MICs determined by standard dilution methods. Although this manual serves as a general guide to use of the Etest antimicrobial gradient strip, always follow the manufacturers directions for use of the Etest, as certain antibiotic-bacteria (drug-bug) combinations have special testing requirements. Methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing with the Etest For H. influenzae, HTM is used when performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Follow the directions on the package insert included with the Etest strips. Either 150-mm or 100-mm plates can be used, depending on the number of antimicrobial agents to be tested per isolate. Two different Etest antimicrobial strips can be placed in opposite gradient directions on a 100-mm plate, and although the manufacturer states that up to six Etest strips can be used on a 150mm plate, this laboratory manual suggests that in order to avoid overlapping zones of inhibition of growth, not more than five Etest strips be used on a 150-mm plate (see Figure 7). a) Suspend viable colonies from an overnight chocolate agar plate into a broth tube to achieve a bacterial suspension equivalent to a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard; be careful not to form froth or bubbles in the suspension when mixing the cells. This suspension should be used within 15 minutes. b) Dip a cotton swab into the bacterial suspension. Press the swab on the side of the tube to drain excess fluid. Inoculate the entire surface of the agar plate three times with the same swab of inoculum, rotating the plate 60 degrees after each inoculation to ensure confluent growth of the bacteria (see Figure 34). Use a single swab of inoculum, and do not return the swab to the broth after each rotation. c) Allow the plate to dry for up to 15 minutes. Be sure the plate is entirely dry before proceeding. While the plate is drying, remove the Etest strips from the -20C freezer and allow the strips that will be used in the batch of testing to warm to room temperature. Return the strips that will not be used in this batch of testing to the -20C freezer.
5

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing with an antimicrobial gradient strip such as the Etest can be considered to be a semi-quantitative method (because although the suspension used to inoculate a plate for Etest is standardized, the inoculum itself is not standardized). However, results are generally comparable to quantitative results of standard broth microdilution or agar dilution MIC tests.

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d) Place the Etest strips onto the dried, inoculated agar plate with an Etest applicator or sterile forceps, oriented as shown in Figure 7. (Make sure that the printed MIC values are facing upward, [i.e., that the bottom surface of the strip containing the antimicrobial gradient is in contact with the agar].) Once applied, do not move the antimicrobial gradient strips. e) Incubate the plates in an inverted position in a CO2-enriched atmosphere (2% 5% CO2) for 1618 hours at 35C. A candle-extinction jar may be used if a CO2-incubator is not available. f) After incubation, an ellipse of bacterial growth will have formed on the plate around the strip and the Etest can be read. Quality control results must be reviewed before reading and interpreting the Etest MIC. MICs are read from the intersection of the ellipse-formed zone of inhibition with the value printed on the Etest strip. Use oblique light to carefully examine the end point. A magnifying glass may be used if needed. Read the MIC at the point of complete inhibition of all growth including hazes and isolated colonies. Figure 8 presents a reading guide for the Etest,6 and shows drug-related effects, technical and handling effects, organism-related effects and resistance-mechanism-related effects. The graduation marks on the Etest strip correspond to the standard concentrations for the agar dilution method, but also include increments between those standard values. The standard values (see Table 27 in Appendix 7) are used for interpretation and reporting of antimicrobial susceptibility test results. It is advised that both the actual reading of the value from the strip and the next-higher standard value (i.e., the value to be used for interpretation) be included in the laboratory records for testing of the strain. For example, if testing susceptibility of a H. influenzae isolate to ampicillin, an MIC recorded from the graduations on the Etest strip might be 0.75 mg/ml; however, the reported MIC would be 1.0 g/ml. Breakpoints for interpretation of MICs follow the NCCLS guidelines, unless exceptions made by the manufacturer are provided in the package insert. NCCLS breakpoints for antimicrobial agents used for H. influenzae are included in Table 2.

Surveillance for emerging antimicrobial resistance in H. influenzae

Laboratories may wish to help detect the emergence of new strains of Haemophilus by testing isolates against a panel of drugs in which reduced susceptibility is not expected to be found. A laboratory might look at specific drugs or characteristic groupings (such as, for example, -lactamase negative, ampicillin resistant

AB Biodisk also maintains a website with an Etest reading guide: http://www.abbiodisk.com.

Haemophilus influenzae | 21

FIGURE 7: Proper placement of Etest strips on dry, inoculated plates

Up to two Etest strips can be placed on a 100 mm plate, as shown.

Up to five Etest strips can be placed on a 150 mm plate, as shown.

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FIGURE 8a: Guidance for reading Etest results

If the strip is backwards, MIC = INVALID! Retest and position the strip with the MIC scale facing the opening of the plate.

Intersection in between markings. Read the next higher value. MIC 0.19 g/ml.

Different intersections on either side of the strip. Read the higher value; if the difference is >1 dilution, repeat the test. MIC 0.5 g/ml.

Ignore a thin line of growth at the edge of the strip caused by organisms growing in a tunnel of water. MIC 0.25 g/ml.

The way in which the strip is placed on the medium can affect growth of the organisms and interpretation of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC).
Etest images and figure legends reprinted from the Etest Reading Guide with the permission of AB BIODISK, Dalvgen 10, S-169 56 Solna, Sweden. Internet: http://www.abbiodisk.com. Email: etest@biodisk.se.

Haemophilus influenzae | 23

FIGURE 8b: Guidance for reading Etest results

Bacteriostatic drugs such as trimethoprim and sulphonamides can give diffuse edges. Read at 80% inhibition. MIC 3 g/ml.

Isolated resistant colonies due to low-level mutation. MIC >256 g/ml.

Paradoxical effect showing partial regrowth after an initial inhibition. MIC 8 g/ml.

Induction of -lactamase production by clavulanic acid at the higher MIC range. MIC 96 g/ml.

The way in which the strip is placed on the medium can affect growth of the organisms and interpretation of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC).
Etest images and figure legends reprinted from the Etest Reading Guide with the permission of AB BIODISK, Dalvgen 10, S-169 56 Solna, Sweden. Internet: http://www.abbiodisk.com. Email: etest@biodisk.se.

24 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

FIGURE 8c: Guidance for reading Etest results

Tilt the plate to visualize pin-point colonies and hazes.This is particularly important for pneumococci. MIC 1 g/ml.

Scrutinize pneumococcal end-points carefully to pick up all microcolonies.Tilt the plate and/or use a magnifying glass. MIC 2 g/ml.

A highly resistant subpopulation in pneumococci. MIC >32 g/ml.

Encapsulated strains may not give a confluent intersection. MIC 1 g/ml.

The way in which the strip is placed on the medium can affect growth of the organisms and interpretation of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC).
Etest images and figure legends reprinted from the Etest Reading Guide with the permission of AB BIODISK, Dalvgen 10, S-169 56 Solna, Sweden. Internet: http://www.abbiodisk.com. Email: etest@biodisk.se.

Haemophilus influenzae | 25

[BLNAR] H. influenzae). These strains are believed to be rare at present, but are of great interest to public health policy and clinicians because although they may exhibit in vitro susceptibility to certain drugs (e.g., amoxicillin + clavulanic acid, cefprozil, cefuroxime, and others), they should still be considered resistant in vivo [NCCLS 2002]. Testing for emerging resistance should not be done with each batch of antimicrobial susceptibility tests, nor with each new batch of media. Instead such testing could be done periodically (e.g., on an annual basis), for example on a sampling of preserved isolates in storage on an annual basis. Methods for preservation and long-term storage of isolates can be found in Appendix 11. Antimicrobials of interest could include (but are not necessarily limited to) ceftriaxone and fluoroquinolones. Appropriate zone diameter sizes can be found in NCCLS documents, which are updated regularly. If any of these rare strains with reduced susceptibility are found in the course of this surveillance, notify an international reference laboratory and submit the isolate for further investigation. A list of international reference laboratories is included in Appendix 14. Testing H. influenzae for -lactamase production Testing the H. influenzae isolates for the presence of -lactamase will identify most of ampicillin-resistant strains, because most (but not all) ampicillin resistance among H. influenzae is caused by the presence of -lactamase. Several techniques are available for the detection of -lactamases. All the tests are based on determination of breakdown products and use either a natural substrate (e.g., penicillin) or a chromogenic substance (e.g., nitrocefin). Two methods for detection of -lactamase are presented in this manual: the nitrocefin test and the acidometric agar plate method. Nitrocefin can be used to screen for -lactamase either as a reagent dropped onto colonies or in the form of a treated disk onto which colonies are rubbed. (This manual suggests using the disk method unless a laboratory is screening large numbers of isolates because the materials for the reagent tend to be available in bulk and costs can be high; methods for testing with the liquid nitrocefin reagent are included in the N. gonorrhoeae chapter [Chapter VI].) a) Using sterile forceps or tweezers, place a nitrocefin disk on a clean slide; add a drop of distilled water. b) Touch a sterile swab or loop to a characteristic colony from fresh, pure culture. c) Rub the swab onto the moistened disk. d) Observe the disk for five minutes; if the reaction is positive (-lactamase producing strain), the areas of the disk containing growth will turn a characteristic red/pink color. A modified acidometric agar plate method is a differential agar method for testing H. influenzae isolates for the presence of -lactamase activity [Park et al.
26 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

1978; Lucas 1979]. Penicillin and phenol red are combined in a non-nutrient plate; the pH indicator detects increased acidity resulting from the cleavage of the -lactam ring of penicillin that yields penicilloic acid, and leads to a color change in the agar. a) Place a clump of isolated colonies in a discrete spot on the -lactamase agar plate. Many strains can be tested on one plate; be certain to note their specific positions with proper labels. b) Apply known -lactamase-positive and -lactamase-negative control strains to the plate; label their positions. c) Incubate the plate in ambient air at 35C for 15 minutes. d) Observe the plate for color change in the agar surrounding each discretely spaced colony. The agar surrounding positive-control strain should be yellow, whereas the agar surrounding the negative-control strain should not exhibit any change in color.

Data for decision-making

Once the laboratory has assessed the serotype and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of H. influenzae isolates, the information should be reported back to public health officials promptly. Factors to consider in the development of treatment policy include: Childhood immunizations should be considered if H. influenzae type b is a major local cause of invasive disease. The antimicrobial agent chosen should be affordable. The antimicrobial agent chosen should be available locally (or able to be obtained quickly). Consideration of such factors when making data-based decisions will help public health officials meet needs in a manner appropriate to the local situation and the specific antimicrobial susceptibility profile. National recommendations for empiric antibiotic utilization should be developed after considering antimicrobial susceptibility data, cost, availability, convenience, and other factors.

Haemophilus influenzae | 27

CHAPTER IV

Neisseria meningitidis
CONFIRMATORY IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING

eisseria meningitidis is the etiologic agent of meningococcal disease, most commonly meningococcal bacteremia and meningitis. These two clinically overlapping syndromes may occur simultaneously, but meningitis alone occurs most frequently. N. meningitidis is an encapsulated bacterium and is classified into serogroups based on the immunological reactivity of the capsules polysaccharide. The most common serogroups causing disease are A, B, C, Y, and W135. During the past 20 years, serogroups B and C have been responsible for most meningococcal disease in the Americas and Europe; serogroup A accounts for most meningococcal disease cases in Africa and some parts of Asia. Meningococcal disease differs from the other leading causes of bacterial meningitis because of its potential to cause large-scale epidemics. Historically, these epidemics have been typically caused by serogroup A and, to a lesser extent, serogroup C. In Africa, the highest incidence rates of serogroup A meningococcal disease occur in a region of Sub-Saharan Africa extending from Sudan in the east to The Gambia in the west; this region consists of 15 countries comprised of more than 260 million people and has been referred to as the meningitis belt. During epidemics, children and young adults are most commonly affected, with attack rates as high as 1,000/100,000 population, or 100 times the rate of sporadic disease. The highest rates of endemic or sporadic disease occur in children less than 2 years of age. In recent years, two major epidemics of meningitis caused by N. meningitidis serogroup W135 have also been reported. In 2000, an outbreak of meningococcal disease in Saudi Arabia (which resulted in 253 cases and 70 deaths) was caused by a virulent clone of serogroup W135; this outbreak occurred simultaneously with the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and returning pilgrims disseminated this clone throughout the world, resulting in secondary cases. As of the time of writing of this laboratory manual in mid-2002, a serogroup W135 meningitis epidemic has been reported in Burkina Faso with more than 12,000 cases and 1400 deaths to date.

Neisseria meningitidis | 29

A quadrivalent polysaccharide vaccine that includes serogroups A, C, Y, and W135 is produced and used in the United States; however, bivalent A and C polysaccharide vaccines are being used in other parts of the world. New meningococcal conjugate vaccines are under development. Laboratory personnel at risk for exposure to aerosolized N. meningitidis should ensure their protective vaccination status remains current and, if possible, work in a biological safety cabinet. Laboratory scientists who manipulate invasive N. meningitidis isolates in a manner that could induce aerosolization or droplet formation (including plating, subculturing, and serogrouping) on an open bench top and in the absence of effective protection from droplets or aerosols should consider antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis.

Confirmatory identification of N. meningitidis

The following steps are recommended to confirm the identity of cultures that morphologically appear to be N. meningitidis (Figure 9). The best results are obtained with day-old cultures. Always check for purity of the growth by performing a Gram stain: N. meningitidis is a gram-negative, kidney-bean- or coffee-bean-shaped diplococcus (see Figure 72). When necessary, make subcultures to ensure purity. From growth on a blood agar plate, perform Kovacs oxidase test, and then identify the serogroup with a slide agglutination test. Finally, confirm the results with carbohydrate (i.e., sugar) reactions. Some laboratorians may be interested in the OMP (i.e., outer membrane protein) subtyping of N. meningitidis isolates; these tests may be performed by international reference laboratories.

Kovacs oxidase test for the identification of N. meningitidis

The oxidase test determines the presence of cytochrome oxidase. The Kovacs oxidase reagent (1% tetramethyl--phenylenediamine hydrochloride) 7 is turned into a purple compound by organisms containing cytochrome c as part of their respiratory chain; therefore, an oxidase-positive test will yield a purple reaction. (Instructions for making oxidase reagent are found in Appendix 2.)
7 Some laboratories may use a different reagent, Gordon and MacLeods reagent, (1% [wt/vol] dimethyl-phenylenediamene dihydrocholoride; dimethyl reagent) to perform the oxidase test. The dimethyl reagent is more stable than the tetramethyl reagent (Kovacs reagent), but the reaction with the dimethyl reagent is slower than that with the tetramethyl reagent. If the laboratory is using the dimethyl- reagent, a positive reaction will be indicated by a color change to blue on the filter paper (not purple, as with the tetramethyl reagent), and with the dimethyl reagent it will take 10 30 minutes for a positive reaction to develop.

30 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

FIGURE 9: Flowchart for laboratory identification of Neisseria meningitidis

Sterile site specimen (e.g., blood, CSF) from suspect case patient Inoculate blood agar (and/or chocolate agar) plates Perform Gram stain on CSF for clinical decision-making

Growth on blood or chocolate agar is grayish, non-hemolytic, round, convex, smooth, moist, glistening colonies with a clearly defined edge. Kovacs oxidase test

Gram-negative, coffee-bean shaped diplococcus

Other morphology or staining characteristics = not N. meningitidis

If no bacteria are detected in the Gram stain of CSF but growth is observed on blood or chocolate agar, laboratories may want to repeat the Gram stain with growth from the primary plate.

Oxidase-negative = not N. meningitidis

Oxidase-positive (purple reaction)

Serogroup identification by slide agglutination

Carbohydrate utilization test

Saline control* plus regionally appropriate grouping antisera

* If agglutination occurs in the saline control, and/or with more than one antiserum, the isolate is non-groupable.

Glucose + (yellow) Maltose + (yellow) Lactose (red) Sucrose (red) = N. meningitidis

Other carbohydrate utilization pattern * = not N. meningitidis

* incubate negatives for five days before discarding

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (do not use disk diffusion)

Neisseria meningitidis | 31

a) Using a platinum inoculating loop, a disposable plastic loop, or a wooden applicator stick, pick a portion of the colony to be tested and rub it onto a treated strip of filter paper (Figure 10). Do not use a Nichrome loop because it may produce a false-positive reaction. b) Positive reactions will develop within 10 seconds in the form of a purple color. Delayed reactions are unlikely with N. meningitidis. The oxidase test aids in the recognition of N. meningitidis and other members of the genus Neisseria; other, unrelated, bacterial species with cytochrome c in the respiratory chain (e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and H. influenzae) are also oxidase positive.

Identification of the N. meningitidis serogroup

Twelve serogroups based on capsular polysaccharides are currently recognized: A, B, C, H, I, K, L, W135, X, Y, Z, and Z (29E). (Note: serogroup D is no longer recognized.) Groups A and C are the common causes of meningitis outbreaks in Africa, but recently outbreaks caused by groups W135 and X have been reported; group B is a cause of endemic meningitis and may also cause outbreaks in some regions of the world (e.g., in Brazil). Grouping antisera are available commercially. Serogrouping can be expensive, but it is valuable. Serogroup data provides laboratories and public health authorities with the tools to: identify outbreaks controllable by a vaccination campaign recognize the presence of serogroups causing sporadic disease detect the emergence of new outbreak strains (e.g., X or W135). It is therefore essential that high-level reference laboratories have the capacity to isolate, identify and confirm the serogroup of N. meningitidis isolates causing sporadic disease as well as those they receive during the course of an outbreak. Slide agglutination test for serogrouping suspected N. meningitidis isolates The following methods require both formalinized physiological saline to make the meningococcal suspension and unformalinized physiological saline (or phosphate buffered saline [PBS]) to mix with the antisera. Store antisera in the refrigerator at 4C when not in immediate use. a) Clean a glass slide with alcohol (optional if slides are pre-cleaned). Divide the slides into equal sections (e.g., three 25-mm [1-inch] sections for a 25-mm x 75-mm [1-inch x 3-inch] slide) with a wax pencil or other marker. b) Collect a small portion of growth from the surface of an overnight culture on non-selective blood or chocolate agar plate using a sterile inoculating loop.
32 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

FIGURE 10: Kovacs oxidase test: a positive reaction on filter paper

STEP 1:Place filter paper treated with Kovacs oxidase in a Petri dish.

STEP 2:Prepare inoculum and touch filter paper with loop

STEP 3:A positive reaction with Kovacs oxidase is detected within 10 seconds by a color change to purple on the area of the filter paper where growth was rubbed (in step 2).

Make a moderately milky suspension of the test culture in 250 l (0.25 ml) of formalinized physiological saline. Vortex the suspension, if possible. If working with only several isolates, it may be more convenient to make the suspension directly on the slide in 10 l of formalinized physiological saline per droplet. Note: For safety reasons, it is recommended that formalin-killed meningococcal suspensions rather than saline suspensions of living organisms be used; however, formalin is a carcinogen and must be stored

Neisseria meningitidis | 33

and handled with great care. (Alternatively, if formalin is not used to kill the meningococci, laboratorians can work under a safety hood.) It is not necessary to make a standard suspension for slide serology; however, it should be noted that a moderately milky suspension is roughly comparable to a 6 McFarland turbidity standard. c) Use a micropipettor or a bacteriologic loop to transfer a drop (510 l) of the cell suspension to the lower portion of each section of the slide prepared in step a of this procedure.8 d) Add a drop of group A antiserum above the drop of suspension in one of the test sections on the slide. In one of the other sections of the slide, add a drop of W135 antiserum below the drop of suspension in that section. For the third section of the slide, use the same method to add a drop of saline below the final drop of suspension. The loop used in the antiserum must not touch either the cell suspension or the other antisera being tested; if it does, it must not be placed back into the source bottle of antiserum. If the source antiserum is contaminated, a new bottle must be used. Note: In Africa, testing with A and W135 antisera (with a saline control to detect nonspecific autoagglutination) should be adequate for serologic characterization of most N. meningitidis isolates. Strains reacting negatively with A and W135 antisera should then be tested with other available antisera, particularly C, Y, B, and X. e) Using a separate toothpick (or sterile loop) for each section, mix each antiserum (and control saline) with its corresponding drop of cell suspension. Avoid contamination across the sections of the slide. f) Gently rock the slide with a back and forth motion for up to 1 minute. Do not use a circular motion while rocking, as it can cause the mixtures to run together and contaminate each other. After one minute of rocking, observe the three mixed drops and read the slide agglutination reactions under bright light and over a black background (see Figure 2). g) Only strong agglutination reactions (3+ or 4+) are read as positive. In a strong reaction, all the bacterial cells will clump and the suspension fluid will appear clear (see Figure 11 and Figure 42). When a strain reacts only in one grouping antiserum, it should be recorded as belonging to that serogroup.
8 This laboratory manual suggests using a micropipettor or a loop to transfer antiserum from the bottle to the slide (rather than the dropper provided with the bottle of antiserum) because they conserve costly antiserum resources. (Micropipettors permit the precise measurement of antiserum, and the loop method collects only 510l of antiserum on average; in contrast, the dropper transfers several times this amount in each drop.) Because only 510 l of antisera are required for agglutination reactions to occur using the methods presented in this manual, using a micropipettor or a loop to transfer antiserum from the bottle to the slide is more cost-effective.

34 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

(For example, an isolate exhibiting a strong agglutination reaction only in group A antiserum would be recorded as N. meningitidis, serogroup A.) If a strong agglutination reaction does not occur with the antisera tested: If the isolate is negative in the first two antisera tested (groups A and W135 in Africa) and the saline control, repeat the test with different antisera to identify the serogroup, following steps a through f of this procedure. When a strain reacts with more than one antiserum or agglutinates in saline, the strain is categorized as non-groupable. (These results occur rarely with fresh isolates, but they do happen occasionally.) Non-groupable results are characterized by: 1) Autoagglutination in the saline control (autoagglutinable). 2) Cross-agglutination with reactions in more than one antiserum (rough). 3) No agglutination with either any of the antisera or with the saline control (non-reactive). Report results of N. meningitidis serogroup testing back to attending clinicians, as appropriate.

FIGURE 11: Positive and negative agglutination reactions on a slide: grouping antisera and saline control with Neisseria meningitidis

When a suspension is mixed with its homologous antiserum, agglutination occurs (left).In a negative reaction, as shown with a heterologous antiserum (center) or control saline (right), the suspension remains smooth and cloudy in appearance.

Neisseria meningitidis | 35

Carbohydrate utilization by N. meningitidis: cystine trypticase agar method

Carbohydrate utilization tests are used to further validate the identification of a strain as N. meningitidis. Various carbohydrates are added to the cystine trypticase agar (CTA) base to a final concentration of 1%. To confirm a culture as N. meningitidis, a set of four tubes, each containing a sugar (i.e., glucose [dextrose], maltose, lactose, and sucrose) is used. Members of Neisseria species produce acid from carbohydrates by oxidation, not fermentation. N. meningitidis oxidizes glucose and maltose, but not lactose and sucrose. A phenol red indicator is included in the medium; it is a sensitive indicator that develops a yellow color in the presence of acid, at a pH of 6.8 or less. (Methods for the preparation and quality control of CTA medium are included in Appendix 2.) a) With an inoculating needle, collect a small amount of growth from an overnight culture of N. meningitidis on blood agar or chocolate agar. b) Stab the inoculum several times into the upper 10 mm of medium. Use another sterile needle, or flame the same needle, before inoculating each of the four carbohydrates to be tested. c) Fasten caps of tubes tightly and place in a 35C incubator (without CO2). Incubate for at least 72 hours (and up to 5 days) before discarding as negative. d) Development of visible turbidity and a yellow color in the upper portion of the medium indicates growth and the production of acid and is interpreted as a positive test (Figure 12). Although reactions may occur as early as 24 hours after inoculation, some reactions are delayed. If only glucose or maltose or none of the sugars react, continue incubation for up to 5 days before discarding. Occasionally, strains of N. meningitidis are encountered that utilize only dextrose or maltose but not both (Table 3).

TABLE 3: Carbohydrate utilization by some species of Neisseria and Moraxella

Species N. meningitidis N. gonorrhoeae N. sicca N. lactamica M. catarrhalis

a

Glucose + (+) c + +

Produces acid from a Maltose Lactose + + + +

Sucrose +

Negative results should not be interpreted prior to 72 hours of incubation in order to avoid false-negative results for delayed acid production reactions. Glucose may be also be referred to as dextrose . Strains of N. gonorrhoeae that are weak acid producers may appear to be glucose-negative in cystine trypticase agar (CTA) medium.

b C

36 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

FIGURE 12: Cystine trypticase agar sugar reactions for acid production from carbohydrates by Neisseria meningitidis

Acid is produced by utilization of sugar and causes the CTA medium to turn yellow at or just below the agar surface. For N. meningitidis, there is utilization of dextrose and maltose (two tubes on left with yellow color just below the surface) and no utilization of lactose nor sucrose (two tubes on right with solid red color of medium).

Commercial identification kits for Neisseria

Several commercial identification systems that use biochemical or enzymatic substrates are available for identification of Neisseria species. These systems may occasionally require supplemental tests, and other characteristics, such as microscopic and colony morphology, must be considered; additionally, antimicrobial susceptibility testing cannot be conducted without a confirmed N. meningitidis isolate. Generally, each system is self-contained, but addition of one or more reagents to complete certain reactions may be necessary. Follow the manufacturers instructions precisely when using these kits. For detailed instructions and use of appropriate control strains, also consult the Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook (see Appendix 15). Rapid sugar utilization test kits may also be used toward the identification of N. meningitidis.

Neisseria meningitidis | 37

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of N. meningitidis

N. meningitidis does not commonly show resistance to many antimicrobial agents. Low-level resistance to penicillin is common in some areas of the world, though the clinical significance of this resistance has not yet been established. Meningococcal resistance to sulfonamides, rifampicin (also referred to as rifampin), and chloramphenicol has also been described. Chloramphenicol tends to be the empiric drug of choice for treating patients with meningitis caused by N. meningitidis; rifampicin and sulfonamides are often used for prophylaxis. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of N. meningitidis should not be performed by disk diffusion, even though it is the least expensive screen, because results are very difficult to interpret and will not provide data useful for making informed treatment decisions. Two appropriate methods for testing include (1) minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination by broth microdilution, and (2) use of the Etest strip. The broth microdilution methodology provides laboratorians with quantitative MIC results based on the inhibition of growth of a standard inoculum in standard concentrations (dilutions) of antimicrobial. The Etest antimicrobial susceptibility test methodology provides laboratorians with semi-quantitative MIC results, because although a standard suspension is used to inoculate a plate, the inoculum is not precisely standardized. Results of the Etest and conventional MIC testing by broth microdilution are generally comparable. The broth microdilution procedure can be expensive and challenging to perform and, because of the technical complexity required, countries that do not currently do MIC testing by dilution should utilize the international reference laboratory rather than developing the assay in-country. For laboratories that do not perform MIC testing by dilution methods but still want to perform antimicrobial susceptibility tests on N. meningitidis isolates, the Etest may be a convenient alternative.9 The Etest is easier to quality control and is the focus of this section of the manual, but broth microdilution methodology is included in Appendix 7. Figure 13 shows a sample worksheet for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for N. meningitidis. Either 150-mm or 100-mm plates can be used for the Etest, depending on the number of antimicrobial agents to be tested per isolate. Two different Etest antimicrobial strips can be placed in opposite gradient directions on a 100-mm plate, and although the manufacturer states that up to six Etest strips can be used on a 150-mm plate, this laboratory manual suggests that in order to avoid overlapping zones of inhibition of growth, not more than five Etest strips be used on a 150-mm plate (see Figure 7).
9 The Etest can be expensive; contact the manufacturer (AB BIODISK) to inquire about discounts available for laboratories in resource-poor regions (see Appendix 13).

38 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

FIGURE 13: Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Neisseria meningitidis

Note: After 18 22 hours of incubation, check the results for the quality control (QC) strain against the standard acceptable ranges; if they are in control, continue reading results for the test isolate. Record MIC results in g/ml. (Breakpoints for interpretation of results may be found in Table 4.)

Neisseria meningitidis | 39

Minimal inhibitory concentration testing of N. meningitidis by Etest antimicrobial gradient strip

Mueller-Hinton + 5% sheep blood agar is used when testing N. meningitidis isolates with the Etest. Follow the directions on the package insert included with the Etest strips. a) Using a sterile cotton-tip applicator, touch the surface of one to four morphologically similar, isolated colonies grown on a chocolate agar plate incubated in CO2-enhanced atmosphere (5% CO2 in a CO2-incubator or candle-extinction jar) at 35C for 1822 hours. Immerse the applicator into a tube containing sterile broth (e.g., Muller-Hinton broth). Rub the applicator against the wall of the tube slightly to release a small amount of growth into the liquid. Cap the tube and mix the cells to form a suspension, being careful not to form froth or bubbles in the suspension when mixing the cells. This suspension should be used within 15 minutes. b) Adjust the turbidity of the inoculum to that of a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard. If the turbidity of the inoculum is greater than the standard, dilute it with broth to equal the turbidity of the standard. (Figures 51 and 52 in Appendix 2 show how to compare the turbidity of the suspension with the standard and also provide black and white lines as a reading background.) c) Immerse a sterile cotton-tipped swab into the adjusted inoculum (prepared in step b of this procedure). Remove excess liquid by pressing the swab tip against the inside of the tube. Inoculate the entire surface of a 15x150-mm MuellerHinton + 5% sheep blood agar plate three times with the same swab of inoculum, rotating the plate 60 degrees after each inoculation to ensure even distribution of the inoculum and confluent growth of the bacteria (see Figure 34). Use a single swab of inoculum, and do not return the swab to the broth after each rotation. d) Allow the inoculum to dry on the surface of the plate (which should take approximately 10 minutes). Be sure the plate is entirely dry before proceeding. While the plate is drying, remove the Etest strips from the -20C freezer, and allow the strips that will be used in the batch of testing to warm to room temperature. Return the antimicrobial gradient strips that will not be used in this batch of testing to the -20C freezer. e) When the surface of the inoculated plate is dry and the Etest strips are at room temperature, place the antimicrobial gradient strips onto the agar with an Etest applicator or sterile forceps, as illustrated in Figure 7. Make sure that the printed MIC values are facing upward (i.e., that the bottom surface of the strip containing the antimicrobial gradient is in contact with the agar.) Once applied, it is important to not move the antimicrobial gradient strips.

40 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

f) Incubate the plates in an inverted position in a 5% CO2 atmosphere for 1822 hours at 35C. A candle-extinction jar may be used if a CO2-incubator is not available. Because N. meningitidis grows well in a humid atmosphere, laboratorians may choose to add a shallow pan of water to the bottom of the incubator or add a dampened paper towel to the candle-extinction jar. After incubation, an ellipse of bacterial growth will have formed on the plate around the strip and the Etest can be read. Quality control results must be reviewed before reading and interpreting the Etest MIC. MICs are read from the intersection of the ellipse-formed zone of inhibition with the value printed on the Etest strip. Use oblique light to carefully examine the end point. A magnifying glass may be used if needed. Read at the point of complete inhibition of all growth including hazes and isolated colonies. Figure 8 presents a reading guide for the Etest,10 and shows drug-related effects, technical and handling effects, organismrelated effects, and resistance mechanism-related effects. The graduation marks on the Etest strip correspond to the standard concentrations for the agar dilution method, but also include increments between those standard values. The standard values (see Table 27 in Appendix 7) are used for interpretation and reporting of antimicrobial susceptibility test results. It is advised that both the actual reading of the value from the strip and the next-higher standard value (i.e., the value to be used for interpretation) be included in the laboratory records for testing of the strain. For example, if testing susceptibility of an isolate to penicillin, an MIC recorded from the graduations on the Etest strip might be 0.094 g/ml; however, the reported MIC would be 0.125g/ml. Quality control for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of N. meningitidis To verify that antimicrobial susceptibility test results are accurate, it is important to include at least one control organism. It is of note here that NCCLS11 does not publish MIC ranges specific to N. meningitidis; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, United States of America) recommends that if antimicrobial susceptibility testing of N. meningitidis is going to be performed, then a banked control strain for fastidious organisms (S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619) should be used for quality control. The NCCLS MIC ranges for quality control testing of S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619 with the antimicrobial agents penicillin, rifampicin, and sulfonamides are included in Table 4. If zones produced by the control strain are out of the expected ranges, the laboratorian should consider possible sources of error.

AB Biodisk also maintains a website with an Etest reading guide: http://www.abbiodisk.com. Formerly known as the National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards (and now known solely by the acronym), NCCLS is an international, interdisciplinary, nonprofit educational organization that develops updated consensus standards and guidelines for the healthcare community on an annual basis.
11

10

Neisseria meningitidis | 41

TABLE 4: Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges for quality control of Neisseria meningitidis antimicrobial susceptibility testing

QC strain for N. meningitidis a S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619

a b

Penicillin MIC Range b 0.25 1 g/ml

Rifampicin (Rifampin) MIC Range b 0.015 0.06 g/ml

Trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole MIC Range b 0.12/2.4 1/19 g/ml

Chloramphenicol MIC Range b 2 8 g/ml

Source: Dr. F.Tenover, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA: 2002. Source: NCCLS (2002) Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing;Twelfth Informational Supplement. NCCLS document M100-S12 [ISBN 1-56238-454-6]. NCCLS 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1400,Wayne, PA 19087 USA.

Resistance to antimicrobials other than penicillins and rifampicin is not commonly detected in N. meningitidis; however, laboratories, clinicians, and other public health practitioners may be interested in performing annual screens of isolates in storage. (Appendix 11 provides methods for how to preserve and store meningococcal isolates.) Periodic, non-routine surveillance for characteristics such as -lactamase production, and ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol and fluoroquinolone resistance will help provide information to public health agencies and international reference laboratories regarding the emergence of new N. meningitidis strains of clinical and public health concern. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests are affected by variations in media, inoculum size, incubation time, temperature, and other factors. The medium used may be a source of error if it fails to conform to NCCLS recommended guidelines. For example, agar containing excessive amounts of thymidine or thymine can reverse the inhibitory effects of sulfonamides and trimethoprim, causing the zones of growth inhibition to be smaller or less distinct for trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (cotrimoxazole); organisms may then appear to be resistant to these drugs when in fact they are not. If the depth of the agar in the plate is not 34 mm or the pH is not between 7.2 and 7.4, the rate of diffusion of the antimicrobial agents or the activity of the drugs may be affected. (Do not attempt to adjust the pH of this Mueller-Hinton agar even if it is out of range; see Appendix 2) If the inoculum is not a pure culture or does not contain a concentration of bacteria that approximates the 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard, the antimicrobial susceptibility test results will be affected. For instance, a resistant organism could appear to be susceptible if the inoculum is too light. Also, if colonies from blood agar medium are used to prepare a suspension by the direct inoculum method, trimethoprim or sulfonamide antagonists may be carried over and produce a haze of growth inside the zones of inhibition surrounding trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole disks even when the isolates being tested are susceptible. Reading and interpreting the Etests Read the MIC at the point where the zone of inhibition intersects the MIC scale on the strip, as illustrated in Figure 8. Record the quality control results first. If zones
42 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

produced by the control strain are out of the expected ranges (Table 4), the laboratorian should consider possible sources of error. If all antimicrobial agents are in control, read the test MICs. Note any trailing endpoints. Because antimicrobial susceptibility test results can be affected by many factors not necessarily associated with the actual susceptibility of the organism (e.g., inoculum size, agar depth, storage, time, and others), quality control practices must be followed carefully. Although NCCLS has not defined standardized breakpoints for the interpretation of an N. meningitidis isolate as susceptible or not, the MICs obtained by antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods as described in this document can still be used. Just as a laboratory might assess antimicrobial susceptibility for the very many other organisms for which no NCCLS breakpoints have been defined, laboratorians and clinicians should consider the site of infection in conjunction with the dose and pharmacokinetics of the antimicrobial agent to determine how much drug reaches the site of the infection. This information should then compared to the MIC value to determine if the concentration of drug available is at least four times greater than the MIC. If the concentration of drug available is 4 times the MIC, the organism may be considered susceptible; if not, it is resistant.

Data for decision-making

Once the laboratory has confirmed the identification and serogroup (and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, if appropriate) of N. meningitidis isolates, the information should be reported promptly to public health officials. Factors to consider in the development of a treatment policy include: Immunization should be considered if a N. meningitidis vaccine serotype is a major cause of local invasive disease. The antimicrobial agent chosen should be affordable. The antimicrobial agent chosen should be available locally (or be able to be obtained quickly). Consideration of such factors when making data-based decisions will help public health officials meet needs in a manner appropriate to the local situation and the specific antimicrobial susceptibility profile. National recommendations for empiric antibiotic utilization should be developed after considering antimicrobial susceptibility data, cost, availability, convenience, and other factors.

Neisseria meningitidis | 43

CHAPTER V

Streptococcus pneumoniae
CONFIRMATORY IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING

treptococcus pneumoniae is a common agent of lower and upper respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia, meningitis and acute otitis media (middle ear infections), affecting children and adults worldwide. This bacterial pathogen is the cause of approximately 40% of acute otitis media. Although acute otitis media and other upper respiratory tract infections do not commonly progress to invasive disease they do contribute significantly to the burden and cost of pneumococcal disease. Meningitis in infants, young children and the elderly is often caused by S. pneumoniae. Persons who have sickle cell disease, anatomic asplenia, or are immunocompromised also have increased susceptibility to S. pneumoniae infection. Pneumococcal meningitis is the most severe presentation of disease, but most illnesses and deaths result from pneumococcal pneumonia. Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine has been available for preventing invasive disease in the elderly and in persons with chronic illnesses that may impair their natural immunity to pneumococcal disease; however, this vaccine is not effective in children <2 years of age. In contrast to polysaccharide vaccines, conjugate vaccines are effective in young children. A pneumococcal conjugate vaccine covering seven serotypes that most commonly cause bacteremia in children in the United States (and some other industrialized nations) was approved for clinical use in 2000; research on vaccine formulations containing serotypes more common in developing countries is underway. S. pneumoniae is frequently carried in the throat without causing disease. On occasion, public health investigations call for studies on the prevalence of S. pneumoniae carriage. For this research, samples may be collected using nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs; methodology for collection and isolation with NP swabs is included in Appendix 5. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on isolates should be performed as presented in this chapter.

Streptococcus pneumoniae | 45

Confirmatory identification of S. pneumoniae

S. pneumoniae are gram-positive diplococci or chains of cocci (see Figure 73). On blood agar and chocolate agar plates, S. pneumoniae colonies appear small, greyish and mucoid (i.e., watery), and are surrounded by a greenish zone of alphahemolysis (-hemolysis). Colonies of pneumococci and -hemolytic viridans streptococci each appear raised when young; however, after 2448 hours, the center of pneumococcal colonies becomes depressed, whereas viridans streptococcal colonies retain their raised appearance (Figure 14). A 3x hand-lens or a microscope (30x50x) can therefore be a useful aid in differentiating pneumococci from -hemolytic viridans streptococci. Laboratory differentiation between S. pneumoniae and viridans streptococci is accomplished by optochin and bile solubility testing: pneumococci are susceptible to optochin and bile-soluble, while viridans streptococci are not. Commercially available slide agglutination tests can also be used for identification of pneumococci. For optimal results plates for pneumococcal identification assays should be incubated in a 5% CO2 atmosphere. A flowchart diagram of the laboratory identification of S. pneumoniae is included in Figure 15. Presumptive identification of S. pneumoniae is made by determining the susceptibility of the strain to optochin (i.e., ethylhydrocupreine). The bile solubility test is also used for identification of S. pneumoniae, particularly when results of the optochin susceptibility test are ambiguous.

Optochin susceptibility test

The optochin susceptibility test is performed with a 6-mm, 5-g optochin disk,12 and is used to differentiate between S. pneumoniae and viridans streptococci. Optochin-susceptible strains can be identified as S. pneumoniae. Performance of the optochin susceptibility test a) Touch the suspect -hemolytic colony with a sterile bacteriological loop and streak for isolation onto a blood agar plate in a straight line. Several strains can be tested on the same plate at once, streaked in parallel lines and properly labeled. b) Aseptically place an optochin or P disk with a diameter of 6 mm (and containing 5 g of ethylhydrocupreine) on the streak of inoculum, near the end where the wire loop was first placed. Because the inoculum is streaked in a straight line, three to four colonies may be tested on the same plate (Figure 16).
12 The results and interpretation of the optochin susceptibility test presented in this document are appropriate for the 6-mm, 5-g optochin disk (P-disk), although-different size disks (and possibly optochin concentrations) are available for purchase. When using optochin disks with different size and/or concentration parameters, follow the manufacturers instructions for interpretation.

46 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

FIGURE 14: A properly streaked blood agar plate with pneumococci and viridans streptococci

Note how growth is heavy where streaking began on the left and then thins to individual colonies.

S. pneumoniae

viridans streptococci

The S. pneumoniae has a depressed center (yellow arrows) at 24 48 hours incubation, whereas the viridans streptococci retain a raised center (black arrows).

c) Incubate the plates in a CO2-incubator or candle-jar at 35C for 1824 hours. d) Read, record, and interpret the results. Reading and interpreting the optochin susceptibility test results In Figure 16, the strain in the top streak is resistant to optochin and, therefore, is not a pneumococcus. The strains in the center and lower streaks are susceptible to optochin and appear to be pneumococci.
Streptococcus pneumoniae | 47

FIGURE 15: Flowchart for laboratory identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Sterile site specimen (e.g., blood, CSF) from suspect case patient Inoculate blood agar (and/or chocolate agar) plates Perform Gram stain for clinical decision-making

Examination of growth on blood (or chocolate) agar shows small, grayish, moist, watery colonies, surrounded by a greenish zone of -hemolysis Optochin susceptibility test (6-mm, 5-g optochin disk) (If testing with a 10-mm disk, a zone of inhibition 16 mm= S.pneumoniae, and strains with zones of inhibition <16 mm should be tested for bile solubility; Follow manufacturers instructions for disks of other sizes or concentrations.)

Gram-positive diplococci or grampositive cocci in chains

Other morphology or staining characteristics = not S. pneumoniae

-hemolytic strain with zone of inhibition 14 mm in diameter * = S. pneumoniae

* with a 6-mm, 5-g disk

-hemolytic strain with zone of inhibition 9 mm 13 mm* in diameter

* with a 6-mm, 5-g disk

-hemolytic strain with zone of inhibition 8 mm* ( = viridans streptococci)

* with a 6-mm, 5-g disk

Isolate not susceptible to optochin ( = not S. pneumoniae)

Bile solubility test

Bile-soluble strain = S. pneumoniae

Not bile soluble (= not S. pneumoniae)

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on Mueller-Hinton agar plus 5% sheep (or horse) blood

48 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

 -hemolytic strains with a zone of inhibition of growth greater than 14 mm in diameter are pneumococci. (If using a 10-mm, 5-g disk, -hemolytic isolates with a zone of inhibition of growth >16 mm in diameter are considered susceptible to optochin and, therefore, are pneumococci.) -hemolytic strains with no zones of inhibition are viridans streptococci. -hemolytic strains with zones of inhibition ranging between 9 mm and 13 mm should be tested for bile solubility for further characterization and identification. (If using a 10-mm disk, -hemolytic isolates with a zone of inhibition of growth <16 mm should be tested for bile solubility.)

FIGURE 16: Optochin susceptibility test for identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae

The optochin susceptibility test for S. pneumoniae uses P-disks (optochin disks); this laboratory manual presents guidelines for interpretation of the optochin susceptibility test based on a 6-mm, 5-g optochin disk. The strain in the top streak grew up to the disk:it is resistant to optochin and therefore is not a pneumococcus. The strains in the center and lower streaks are susceptible to optochin and appear to be pneumococci.

Streptococcus pneumoniae | 49

Bile solubility test

The bile solubility test is performed on isolates with small zones of inhibition in the optochin susceptibility test. It can be performed using either the tube method or the plate method. Tube method for the performance of the bile solubility test Two tubes are required for bile solubility testing of each suspect strain of S. pneumoniae. a) Take a loop of the suspect strain from fresh growth on a blood agar plate and prepare a bacterial cell suspension in 0.5 ml of sterile saline. The suspension of bacterial cells should be cloudy, similar to that of a 0.5 or 1.0 McFarland turbidity standard. (Preparation of a McFarland turbidity standard is described in Appendix 2.) If growth on the optochin test plate is sufficient, the suspension can be made with the bacterial cells collected from the specific streak of suspect S. pneumoniae. When there is insufficient growth to make a suspension of the proper density in 0.5 ml of sterile saline, inoculate a blood agar plate with the suspect growth and incubate overnight (i.e., for 18 24 hours at 35C in a CO2-enriched atmosphere) to prepare a fresh culture. b) Divide the suspension into two equal amounts (i.e., 0.25 ml per tube). Add 0.25 ml of saline to one tube and 0.25 ml of 2% sodium desoxycholate (bile salts) to the other. To make a 2% concentration of bile salts, add 0.2 g of sodium desoxycholate to 10 ml of saline. c) Shake the tubes gently and incubate them at 35 37C for up to 2 hours. d) Examine the tubes periodically for lysis of cells in the tube containing the bile salts. A clearing of the tube, or a loss in turbidity, is a positive result (Figure 17). Strains that yield clearing of the suspension in tube in the bile solubility test should be reported as bile soluble. Strains for which the turbidity in the tube remains the same as that in the saline control tube is reported as negative for bile solubility (or bile insoluble or bile resistant). Plate method for the performance of the bile solubility test In place of the tube test for bile insolubility, a laboratorian may perform the bile solubility test using the plate method. A freshly prepared culture of the suspect organism must be used for this test.

50 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

FIGURE 17: Positive and negative results of the bile solubility test

Strain 1 Control

Strain 1 Bile Salts ()

Strain 2 Control

Strain 2 Bile Salts (+)

Results of the bile solubility test are shown for two different strains of bacteria. A slight decrease in turbidity is observed in the tube containing bile salts for strain 1 (2nd tube from left), but the contents are almost as turbid as the control tube (far left); therefore, strain 1 is not Streptococcus pneumoniae. Strain 2 is S. pneumoniae: all turbidity in the tube on the far right has disappeared, the clearness indicating that the cells have lysed; in contrast, the control tube (2nd from right) is still turbid and cells are intact.

a) Place a drop of 10% sodium desoxycholate solution directly on a colony of the suspect pneumococcal strain to be tested. (To prepare the 10% solution of bile salts, add 1 g of sodium desoxycholate bile salts to 10 ml of sterile saline.) b) Keep the plate at room temperature (i.e., 7275C) or place it face up (i.e., agar-side up) and on a level surface in an ambient air incubator (i.e., not a CO2-incubator) at 35C for approximately 15 minutes (or until the 10% bile salt reagent dries). Optional: instead of leaving the plate out at room temperature, laboratorians may choose to put the plate top-side (i.e., agar-side) up on a level surface in an ambient air incubator (i.e., not a CO2-incubator) at 35C until the reagent dries (approximately 1015 minutes). c) When the reagent dropped on the suspect colony is dry, read, record, and interpret the results.
Streptococcus pneumoniae | 51

Pneumococcal colonies are bile-soluble and will disappear or appear as flattened colonies; in contrast, bile-resistant streptococcal colonies will be unaffected.

Interpretation of the combined optochin and bile solubility tests for pneumococcal identification
The following summary of results of the optochin and bile-solubility tests is commonly used to accurately and conveniently identify S. pneumoniae (i.e., pneumococcus). A strain exhibiting a zone of inhibition by optochin 14 mm (with a 6-mm, 5-g disk) is a pneumococcus. A strain exhibiting a smaller but definite zone of inhibition by optochin (913 mm with a 6-mm, 5-mg disk) and that is also bile soluble is a pneumococcus. The following summary of results of the optochin and bile-solubility tests should be interpreted as negative for S. pneumoniae (and positive for viridans streptococci). A strain with a small zone of inhibition by optochin (8 mm with a 6-mm, 5-g disk) that is not bile soluble is not a pneumococcus. (The colonies can be identified as viridans streptococci.) Strains with no zones of inhibition by optochin are not pneumococci. (The colonies can be identified as viridans streptococci.)

Commercial test kits for identification (slide agglutination test)

Commercially available slide agglutination tests (e.g., Slidex Pneumo-kit and the Pneumoslide) can also help identify colony growth from blood agar plates as S. pneumoniae. Follow the manufacturers instructions precisely when using these and any other commercial tests. If a colony appears to be S. pneumoniae on the basis of morphology and susceptibility to optochin, but it has a negative bile solubility test, slide agglutination tests can assist with identification of the isolate. A positive slide agglutination test should be interpreted as a possible S. pneumoniae isolate, whereas a negative slide agglutination reaction in conjunction with the positive optochin and negative bile solubility would indicate the isolate is not S. pneumoniae. Identification of the S. pneumoniae serotype Serotyping of pneumococci is not usually necessary for a clinical response. However, in some situations or settings (e.g., studies focusing on evaluation

52 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

of vaccine efficacy), it will be appropriate to type these isolates. Methods for serotyping and Quellung typing are included in Appendix 6.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of S. pneumoniae

The results of antimicrobial susceptibility tests will be used to help make recommendations for clinical treatment. There are a variety of methods by which one can determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of a bacterial pathogen, commonly including disk diffusion, testing by agar dilution or broth microdilution, and testing by antimicrobial gradient agar diffusion (e.g., with the Etest strip). The disk diffusion method presented in this chapter is a modification of the Kirby-Bauer technique that has been carefully standardized by NCCLS;13 if performed precisely according to the following protocol, this method will yield data that can reliably predict the in vivo effectiveness of the drug in question. This section describes the optimal media, inoculum, antimicrobial agents to test, incubation conditions, and interpretation of results for S. pneumoniae. The disk diffusion method gives valid data for only certain antibiotics, so this laboratory manual recommends use of the Etest to gather data about the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antimicrobial agents.14 MIC testing can also be done by dilution; however because agar dilution and broth microdilution are expensive and technically complex, this manual recommends that countries that do not currently do MIC testing by dilution should utilize the international reference laboratory rather than developing the assay in-country. (Alternatively, if resources are available, laboratories may purchase commerciallyavailable, frozen MIC panels and follow the manufacturers instructions to carry out the MIC test.) This laboratory manual describes antimicrobial susceptibility testing of S. pneumoniae by the disk diffusion method and by the Etest antimicrobial gradient strip method. (Figure 18 is a sample worksheet for recording results of the antimicrobial susceptibility tests.) Although disk diffusion will provide information for most antimicrobial agents regarding interpretation of a strain as susceptible, intermediate, or resistant, the Etest provides general information about the MIC of antibiotic. The accuracy and reproducibility of this test are dependent on following a standard set of procedures and conditions in laboratories on an on-going basis.

13

Formerly known as the National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards (and now known solely by the acronym), NCCLS is an international, interdisciplinary, nonprofit educational organization that develops updated consensus standards and guidelines for the healthcare community on an annual basis.

14 The Etest can be expensive; contact the manufacturer (AB BIODISK) to inquire about discounts available for laboratories in resource-poor regions (see Appendix 13).

Streptococcus pneumoniae | 53

FIGURE 18: Sample form for recording antimicrobial susceptibility test results for Streptococcus pneumoniae

54 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Note: After 20-24 hours of incubation, check the results for the quality control (QC) strains against the standard acceptable ranges; if they are within control limits, continue reading results for the test isolate. Record disk diffusion results in mm and MIC results in g/ml. (Inhibition zone ranges and breakpoints for interpretation of results may be found in Table 5.)

Quality control of antimicrobial susceptibility testing of S. pneumoniae

Quality control tests must be performed as part of the normal laboratory routine. To verify that antimicrobial susceptibility test results are accurate, at least one control organism should be included with each test or new set of testing conditions. S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619 is the NCCLS control strain to use when performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing on S. pneumoniae isolates. Inhibition zone diameters obtained for the control strain should be compared with NCCLS published limits, which are included in Table 5. If zones produced by the control strain are out of the expected ranges, the laboratorian should consider possible sources of error. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests are affected by variations in media, inoculum size, incubation time, temperature, and other environmental factors. The medium used may be a source of error if it fails to conform to NCCLS recommended guidelines. For example, agar containing excessive amounts of thymidine or thymine can reverse the inhibitory effects of sulfonamides and trimethoprim, causing the zones of growth inhibition to be smaller or less distinct. Organisms may appear to be resistant to these drugs when in fact they are not. If the depth of the agar in the plate is not uniformly 34 mm, the rate of diffusion of the antimicrobial agents or the activity of the drugs may be affected. If the pH of the test medium is not between 7.2 and 7.4, the rate of diffusion of the antimicrobial agents or the activity of the drugs may be affected. (Note: Do not attempt to adjust the pH of the Mueller-Hinton agar test medium if it is outside the range; see Appendix 2.) If the inoculum is not a pure culture or does not contain a concentration of bacteria that approximates the 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard, the antimicrobial susceptibility test results will be affected. For instance, a resistant organism could appear to be susceptible if the inoculum is too light. Also, even if the isolates are susceptible, when colonies from blood agar medium are used to prepare a suspension by the direct inoculum method, trimethoprim or sulfonamide antagonists may be carried over and produce a haze of growth inside the zones of inhibition surrounding trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole disks. Quality control (QC) tests should be performed once per week if antimicrobial susceptibility tests are performed daily after 30 days of in-control results, or with every group of tests when testing is done less frequently. They should also be done with each new batch of antimicrobial susceptibility test medium and every time a new lot of disks is used.

Streptococcus pneumoniae | 55

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disk diffusion

Antimicrobial susceptibility can be determined using the disk diffusion method; however, disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing is generally not performed on meningitis isolates. This laboratory manual describes the optimal media, inoculum, antimicrobial agents to be tested, incubation conditions, and interpretation of results. Mueller-Hinton agar medium supplemented with 5% sheep blood is recommended for determining the antimicrobial susceptibility of S. pneumoniae specimens by disk diffusion. The agar plates should have a uniform depth of 34 mm. The l-g oxacillin disk is recommended for predicting the susceptibility of S. pneumoniae to penicillin because penicillin disks do not provide reproducible results. Interpretations of the oxacillin disk diffusion test are generalizable across the -lactam drugs for S. pneumoniae. It is only possible to conclude if a strain is susceptible to penicillin based on the oxacillin screen, and not if it is resistant to penicillin. If the zone of inhibition around the oxacillin disk is less than 20 mm, additional MIC testing (e.g., by Etest) must be performed to assess whether the isolate is resistant or susceptible to penicillin. A 30-g chloramphenicol disk is used for detecting resistance to chloramphenicol. A 25-g trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (cotrimoxazole) disk (i.e., a disk comprised of 1.25 mg trimethoprim plus 23.75 mg sulfamethoxazole) is used for detecting trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance in S. pneumoniae. The Mueller-Hinton agar used for this test should be thymidine free to obtain accurate results with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disk diffusion Prepare the inoculum for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of S. pneumoniae from fresh pure cultures of S. pneumoniae (grown overnight on blood or chocolate agar). Prepare cell suspensions of the bacteria to be tested in sterile physiological saline or Mueller-Hinton broth. A cell suspension equal to a density of a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard is used for the inoculum. (Preparation of a McFarland turbidity standard and plate count methods are described in Appendix 2.) a) Suspend viable colonies from an overnight sheep blood or chocolate agar plate in a tube of broth to achieve a bacterial suspension equivalent to a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard; be careful not to form froth or bubbles in the suspension when mixing the cells with the broth. This suspension should be used within 15 minutes.

56 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

b) Compare the density of the suspension to the 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard by holding the suspension and McFarland turbidity standard in front of a light against a white background with contrasting black lines (see Figures 51 and 52, Appendix 2). If the density is too heavy, the suspension should be diluted with additional suspending medium (i.e., saline or broth). If the density is too light, additional bacteria should be added to the suspension. c) When the proper density is achieved, dip a cotton or dacron swab into the bacterial suspension. Lift it out of the broth and remove excess fluid by pressing and rotating the swab against the wall of the tube. d) Use the swab to inoculate the entire surface of the supplemented MuellerHinton agar plate three times, rotating the plate 60 degrees between each inoculation (see Figure 34). Use the same swab with each rotated streak, but do not re-dip the swab in the inoculum (i.e., the bacterial cell suspension). e) Allow the inoculum to dry before placing the disks on the plates. Drying usually takes only a few minutes, and should take no longer than 15 minutes. (If drying takes longer than 15 minutes, use a smaller volume of inoculum in the future.) f) After the plate is dry, place the antimicrobial disks on the plates (as shown in Figure 6). Use sterile forceps to place the disks on the Mueller Hinton agar and tap them gently to ensure they adhere to the agar. Diffusion of the drug in the disk begins immediately; therefore, once a disk contacts the agar surface, the disk should not be moved. g) Incubate the plates in an inverted position in a 5% CO2 atmosphere for 2024 hours at 35C. A candle-extinction jar may be used if a CO2-incubator is not available. If this is a new batch of Mueller-Hinton agar, the antimicrobial disks are new, or it is an otherwise appropriate time to perform quality control, follow steps a through g above and run parallel tests on the reference strain(s). Appropriate disk diffusion zone sizes for the reference QC strains are included in Table 5. h) After overnight incubation, measure the diameter of each zone of inhibition with a ruler or calipers. The zones of inhibition on the media containing blood are measured from the top surface of the plate with the top removed. Use either calipers or a ruler with a handle attached for these measurements, holding the ruler over the center of the surface of the disk when measuring the inhibition zone (see Figure 6). Care should be taken not to touch the disk or surface of the agar. Sterilize the ruler occasionally to prevent transmission of the bacteria. In all measurements, the zones of inhibition are measured as the diameter from the edges of the last visible colony. Record the results in millimeters (mm). Figure 5 provides a sample form for recording results.

Streptococcus pneumoniae | 57

TABLE 5: Antimicrobial susceptibility test breakpoints and quality control ranges for Streptococcus pneumoniae

Antimicrobial agent Chloramphenicol Trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole (cotrimoxazole) Oxacillin b Penicillin b Ceftriaxone d, e

Disk potency 30 g 1.25 / 23.75 g 1 g Disk diffusion ONLY MIC ONLY MIC ONLY Non-meningitis isolate MIC Meningitis isolate MIC MIC ONLY Non-meningitis isolate MIC

Diameter of zone of inhibition (mm) and equivalent MIC breakpoint (g/ml) a Susceptible Intermediate Resistant 21 mm ~ 20 mm ( 4 g/ml) ~ ( 8 g/ml) 19 mm
( 0.5 9.5 g/ml)

NCCLS QC strain S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619 23 27 mm

(2 8 g/ml)

16 18 mm
(1/19 2/38 g/ml)

15 mm
(4/76 g/ml)

20 28 mm
(0.12/2.4 1/19 g/ml)

20 mm b
( 0.06 g/ml) ( 1 g/ml) ( 0.5 g/ml) ( 1 g/ml)

** b
(0.12 1 g/ml)

** b
( 2 g/ml) ( 4 g/ml) ( 2 g/ml) ( 4 g/ml)

12mm c
(0.25 1 g/ml)

(2 g/ml)

(0.03 0.12 g/ml)

(1 g/ml)

Cefotaxime d, e

(2 g/ml)

(0.03 0.12 g/ml)

Meningitis isolate MIC ( 0.5 g/ml) (1 g/ml) ( 2 g/ml) a Source: NCCLS (2002) Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing;Twelfth Informational Supplement. NCCLS
document M100-S12 [ISBN 1-56238-454-6]. NCCLS 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1400,Wayne, PA 19087-1898 USA.
b Oxacillin should only be tested by disk diffusion. If the zone is <20 mm, an isolate cannot be reported as susceptible,

intermediate or resistant, and MIC testing must be conducted for an appropriate penicillin (or other -lactam) drug.
c Deterioration in oxacillin disk content is best assessed with QC organism Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, with an acceptable

zone diameter of 18 to 24 mm[NCCLS 2002].

d Penicillin, ceftriaxone, and cefotaxime should only be tested by a method that will provide an MIC; it is presented in this table

as a follow-up for an equivocal oxacillin disk diffusion test (i.e., oxacillin zone of inhibition <20 mm). Perform MIC testing on the specific penicillin (or other -lactam) drug that would be used to treat.
e Ceftriaxone and cefotaxime have separate interpretive MIC breakpoints for meningitis and non-meningitis isolates.

i) Interpret the antimicrobial susceptibility of the test strain (and check that results for the QC strain S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619 are within the acceptable control range) by comparing the results to the NCCLS standard zone sizes (Table 5).

The Etest for minimal inhibitory concentration testing of S. pneumoniae

For S. pneumoniae, disk diffusion testing indicates whether an organism is susceptible or resistant to an antimicrobial for most agents. However, disk diffusion testing for pneumococcal isolates and oxacillin (a penicillin agent) is not sufficient to distinguish between complete and intermediate resistance. For surveillance purposes, a laboratory may want to quantify the results of the oxacillin

58 | Manual for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

disk diffusion test by performing minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing of penicillin or any other beta-lactam antibiotic that would be used for treatment. As mentioned earlier in this manual, MIC testing by dilution can be expensive and challenging, and because of the technical complexity required for these tests, countries that do not currently do MIC testing by dilution should utilize the international reference laboratory rather than developing the assay in-country. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that only one laboratory in a resource-limited region perform antimicrobial susceptibility testing; however, in countries where MIC testing is done at more than one laboratory, standardization and quality control should be conducted at each laboratory in accordance with the standardized guidelines presented in this manual. Laboratorians determining the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for resistant isolates must be highly skilled in performing these tests and committed to obtaining accurate and reproducible results. In addition, a national (or regional) reference laboratory must have the ability and resources to store isolates either by lyophilization or by freezing at -70C. Methods for preservation and storage of isolates are presented in Appendix 11, and detailed methods for transport of isolates according to international regulations are presented in Appendix 12. With increasing antimicrobial resistance testing being performed outside of international reference laboratories, the Etest serves as a test method that is both convenient and reliable.15 The Etest requires less technical expertise than MIC testing by dilution methods, but it gives comparable results. Etest strips must be consistently stored in a freezer at -20C. The Etest is an antimicrobial susceptibility testing method that is as technically simple to perform as disk diffusion and produces semi-quantitative results that are measured in micrograms per milliliter (g/ml). It is drug-specific, consists of a thin plastic antibiotic gradient strip that is applied to an inoculated agar plate, and is convenient in that it applies the principles of agar diffusion to perform semiquantitative testing.16 The continuous concentration gradient of stabilized, dried antibiotic is equivalent to 15 log2 dilutions by a conventional reference MIC procedure as suggested by the NCCLS. The Etest has been compared and evaluated beside both the agar and broth dilution susceptibility testing methods recommended by the NCCLS. Authoritative reports indicate that an (approximately) 85% 100% correlation exists between the accepted conventional MIC determinations and the MIC determined by the Etest procedure for a variety of organism-drug combinations
15 The Etest can be expensive; contact the manufacturer (AB BIODISK) to inquire about discounts available for laboratories in resource-poor regions (see Appendix 13). 16 Antimicrobial susceptibility testing with an antimicrobial gradient strip such as the Etest can be considered to be a semi-quantitative method (because although the suspension used to inoculate a plate for Etest is standardized, the inoculum itself is not standardized). However, results are generally comparable to quantitative results of standard broth microdilution or agar dilution MIC tests.

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(see, e.g., Jorgensen et al. [1994] and Barry et al. [1996] in Appendix 15). Some studies have cited Etest MICs as approximately one dilution higher than MICs determined by standard dilution methods. Although this manual serves as a general guide to use of the Etest antimicrobial gradient strip, always follow the manufacturers directions for use of the Etest, as certain antibiotic-bacteria (drug-bug) combinations have special testing requirements. For example, macrolides (e.g., azithromycin, erythromycin) should be tested in a normal atmosphere, not with CO2. Methods for performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing of S. pneumoniae with the Etest The manufacturer of the Etest indicates that when testing S. pneumoniae, the Mueller-Hinton agar test medium can be supplemented with either sheep or horse blood; however, it may be easier to interpret results on medium prepared with sheep blood (except when testing susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, in which case sheep blood should not be used as a supplement) [CDC, unpublished data]. This laboratory manual therefore suggests that Mueller Hinton agar with 5% sheep blood should be used when performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing of S. pneumoniae with the Etest (except when testing for susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, in which case horse blood should be used in place of sheep blood). Either 150-mm or 100-mm plates can be used, depending on the number of Etests used per sample (Figure 7). Two different Etest antimicrobial strips can be placed in opposite gradient directions on a 100-mm plate, and note that although the manufacturer states that up to six Etest strips can be used on a 150-mm plate, this laboratory manual suggests that in order to avoid overlapping zones of inhibition of growth, not more than five Etest strips be used on a 150-mm plate. a) Suspend viable colonies from an overnight blood agar plate into a broth tube to achieve a bacterial suspension equivalent to a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard; be careful not to form froth or bubbles in the suspension when mixing the cells. This suspension should be used within 15 minutes. b) Dip a cotton swab into the bacterial suspension. Press the swab on the side of the tube to drain excess fluid. Inoculate the entire surface of the agar plate three times with the same swab of inoculum, rotating the plate 60 degrees after each inoculation to ensure confluent growth of the bacteria (Figure 34). Use a single swab of inoculum, and do not return the swab to the broth after each rotation. c) Allow the plate to dry for up to 15 minutes. Be sure the plate is entirely dry before proceeding. While the plate is drying, remove the Etest strips from the -20C freezer, and allow the strips that will be used in the batch of testing to warm to room temperature. Return the strips that will not be used in this batch of testing to the -20C freezer.
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d) Place the Etest strips onto the dried, inoculated agar plate with an Etest applicator or sterile forceps (Figure 7.) Make sure that the printed MIC values are facing upward (i.e., that the bottom surface of the strip containing the antimicrobial gradient is in contact with the agar.) Once applied, do not move the antimicrobial gradient strips. e) Incubate the plates in an inverted position in a CO2-enriched atmosphere (2%5% CO2) for 2024 hours at 35C. A candle-extinction jar may be used if a CO2 incubator is not available. Always follow the manufacturers instructions included with each package of strips, because incubation conditions may vary by organism-antimicrobial (or drug-bug) combination. f) After incubation, there will be an ellipse of bacterial growth will have formed on the plate around the strip and the Etest can be read. It is important to review quality control results before reading and interpreting the Etest MIC. MICs are read from the intersection of the ellipse-formed zone of inhibition with the value printed on the Etest strip. Use oblique light to carefully examine the endpoint. A magnifying glass may be used if needed. Read at the point of complete inhibition of all growth including hazes and isolated colonies. Figure 8 presents a reading guide for the Etest,17 and shows drug-related effects, technical and handling effects, organism-related effects and resistance-mechanism-related effects. The graduation marks on the Etest strip correspond to the standard concentrations for the agar dilution method, but the marks also represent increments between those standard values. The standard values (Table 27 in Appendix 7) are used for interpretation and reporting of antimicrobial susceptibility test results. It is advised that if the MIC appears to be an interdilutional value, both the actual reading of the value from the strip and the next-higher standard value (i.e., the value to be used for interpretation) be included in the laboratory records for testing of the strain. For example, if testing susceptibility of a S. pneumoniae isolate to penicillin, an MIC recorded from the graduations on the Etest strip might be 0.094 g/ml; however, the reported MIC would be 0.125g/ml, and the organism would be interpreted as being intermediate to penicillin. Breakpoints follow the NCCLS guidelines, unless exceptions made by the manufacturer are provided in the package insert. NCCLS breakpoints for S. pneumoniaeantimicrobial combinations are included in Table 5.

17

AB Biodisk also maintains a website with an Etest reading guide: http://www.abbiodisk.com.

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Surveillance for emerging pneumococcal resistance

Laboratories may wish to help detect the emergence of new strains of pathogens by testing isolates against a panel of drugs in which reduced susceptibility is not expected to be found. This could be done, for example, on a sampling of preserved isolates in storage on an annual basis. Methods for preservation and long-term storage of isolates can be found in Appendix 11. Antimicrobials of interest could include (but are not necessarily limited to): tetracycline, erythromycin, clindamycin, rifampin, ceftriaxone, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and vancomycin. Appropriate zone sizes can be found in NCCLS documents, which are updated regularly. Laboratorians should notify a reference laboratory of any isolates observed to have rare characteristics of nonsusceptibility; for example, as of early 2002, no pneumococcus has exhibited decreased susceptibility to vancomycin [NCCLS 2002]. A list of international reference laboratories is included in Appendix 14.

Data for decision-making

Once the laboratory has antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of S. pneumoniae isolates, the information should be reported promptly to public health officials. Factors to consider in the development of a treatment policy include: The antimicrobial agent chosen should be affordable. The antimicrobial agent chosen should be available locally (or be able to be obtained quickly). Consideration of such factors when making data-based decisions will help public health officials meet needs in a manner appropriate to the local situation and the specific antimicrobial susceptibility profile. National recommendations for empiric antibiotic utilization should be developed after considering antimicrobial susceptibility data, cost, availability, convenience, and other factors. Information on pneumococcal antimicrobial resistance, together with data on the major pneumococcal serotypes responsible for disease, may become increasingly valuable to public health officials in the future, as new formulations of multivalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines become available for global use.18

18 The Vaccine Alliance maintains information on these sorts of activities on its website: www.vaccinealliance.org.

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