Id32staph

The study included a total of 52 staphylococcal isolates (26 SA isolates and 26 SE isolates) cultured from 52 conjunctival swabs collected from patients demonstrating the clinical signs and symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis. Each conjunctival swab was obtained from the lower fornix of each case and subsequently cultured onto the sheep blood agar and mannitol salt agar (MSA). The inoculated media were incubated at 37 °C for up to 48 h. The identification of isolates growing in cultures was initiated with the use of conventional laboratory methods including Gram staining, catalase reaction, haemolytic activity on the sheep blood agar, growth on the mannitol salt agar (MSA), as well as the coagulase test. Final identification of the isolates to the species level was performed using the ID32 STAPH (BioMérieux) biochemical test according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In order to differentiate the bacterial species contaminating both the raw and diluted semen, each sample was plated onto Columbia agar with 5% (v/v) sheep blood and Mac-Conkey agar, respectively. The plates were incubated in aerobic conditions at 37 °C for 24 h. After this period, one colony of each morphotype was transferred onto tryptone soy agar and re-incubated for 24 h at 37 °C in order to obtain a fresh culture ready for identification. The identification of bacteria isolates was performed using Gram stain and ID32E, ID32GN, ID32STAPH, and ID32STREP (bioMérieux, Craponne, France). Filamentous fungi also called molds were identified on the basis of macroscopic and microscopic features using the primary cultures onto Sabouraud Chloramphenicol Agar. The yeasts were identified by biochemical tests using ID32C strips (bioMérieux, France) [41 ,42 ].

A total of 108 S. aureus isolates, coming from revisions of surgical wounds and treatment of infected prostheses of patients coming from the entire Italian territory, were collected over a period of 13 years (2000–2012) and stored at −80 °C. The majority (82 samples, 76%) of the isolate was from orthopedic implant-related infections. The strains were deposited in the ISO 9001:2015 certified biobank of the Research Unit on Implant Infections at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute (Bologna, Italy). The strains were identified by either or both Api-Staph and ID 32 Staph test (BioMérieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France) and confirmed by ribotyping analysis.