Enteric pathogen screening: a multipoint technique with a simple numerical profile

The use of peptone water sugars to screen non-lactose fermenting enteric isolates is expensive and has limited potential for identification. The multipoint system uses seven media from a commercial system containing either single sugars or biochemical substrates. Up to 20 organisms can be tested on each set of plates, the results being used to generate a four figure profile from which a presumptive identity can be obtained. This identity must still be confirmed, but the number of organisms requiring further investigation can be as low as one third of those following use of peptone water sugars. The multipoint system represents a rapid, more accurate and considerably cheaper alternative.