Module 10: Laboratory Procedures - Hemolysis, Bacitracin, PYR, CAMP, Hippurate, Bile Esculin, Bile Solubility Flashcards
What is the first step of IDing Streptococcus?
Hemolysis reactions on blood agar
What would happen to strep growing on a BA that had fermentable carbohydrates in it?
Strep ferments that carbs, produces an acid, and may alter the acid labile Streptolysin S, which may cause a loss of beta hemolysis
What strep would show different hemolysis reactions if human or horse blood is used in BA?
Group D strep
What undesirable characteristic may human blood have in terms of strep hemolysis reactions
May contain antistreptolysin O which could inhibit hemolysis
What is the optimum concentration and depth of a BA plate?
5% sheep blood, 4-6mm depth
When would a Group A strep appear non-hemolytic?
If the strain only produces beta hemolysis due to Streptolysin O, which is destroyed by oxygen
What are the 4 strategies to reduce oxygen when working up GAS?
- Pour plates
- Cutting the inoculum into the plate
- Anaerobic incubation
- GAS DNA probe
What is involved in the pour plate GAS method?
Inoculate molten agar, pour into plate, incubate
Sub-surface colonies form and are examined under low magnification
What is involved in the inoculum cutting GAS method?
Gouging the agar with the inoculum or placing a coverslip overtop to reduce oxygen
What is involved in the anaerobic GAS method?
Used commonly in throat swabs
Anaerobic incubation used
What is involved in the DNA probe GAS method?
Throat swabs placed in lysis reagent, DNA is extracted, amplified, and DNA is detected
What is the bacitracin test used for?
Presumptive GAS identification
What is the bacitracin test procedure?
Apply bacitracin disk to primary or sub plate, incubate overnight at 35 degrees, read for ZOI
What are the results of the bacitracin test?
Sensitive = any ZOI = Not GAS, other beta-hemolytic Streptococcus Resistant = no ZOI = GAS
What does the PYR test detect?
L-pyrrolidone aminopeptidase enzyme
What is the PYR test used for?
Differentiates Group D Enterococcus from Non-Enterococcus, and presumptive ID of GAS
What is the PYR test principle?
PYR substrate disc is hydrolyzed by PYR enzyme to amine byproduct which is detected by PYR reagent causing a pink/red color
What is the PYR test procedure?
Rub bacterial colonies on dH2O moistened disk, add cinnamaldehyde reagent, observe for red color
What is the CAMP test used for?
Presumptive ID of GBS
What does the CAMP test detect?
The ability of the organism to produce CAMP factor
How does the CAMP test work?
CAMP factor produced by GBS with Staphylococcus beta-hemolysin produce a lytic reaction where the two meet, creating an arrowhead of hemolysis
What is the procedure for the CAMP test?
Streak S. aureus vertically down a BA plate, streak test/control organism perpendicular to the staph streak stopping just short
Incubate in CO2 or O2 (CO2 is faster) and inspect for arrowhead
What is a precaution about the CAMP test?
The organism used must be confirmed as strep before this test is done, because other organisms are CAMP positive and may give false results
What is the hippurate hydrolysis test? What does it demonstrate?
Demonstrates the organisms ability to hydrolyze sodium hippurate into glycine by the addition of ninhydrin producing a purple color from the ammonia produced from the glycine deamination
What is the hippurate hydrolysis test used for?
Group B Streptococcus
What is the procedure for the hippurate hydrolysis test?
Warm frozen (-20 degree) reagent up to RT and inoculate until cloudy
Incubate at 35 degrees for 2-4 hours
Add 0.2mL of ninhydrin and continue incubating for 10 minutes
Observe for color
What are the results of the hippurate test?
Deep purple = positive
No color/light purple = negative
What are some precautions with the hippurate test?
Ninhydrin reacts with all amino acids and will cause a false positive if the test is contaminated with media peptones
Controls must be done with each test to determine dark/light purple