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Identification of blood and wound isolates of C. canimorsus and C. cynodegmi using VITEK2 and MALDI-TOF

S Zangenah1, V Ozenci, S Boräng

  • 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases : Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
|March 29, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) rapidly and accurately identifies Capnocytophaga canimorsus and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi, bacteria transmitted from pets, offering a valuable diagnostic tool for clinical laboratories.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Microbiology
  • Bacteriology
  • Diagnostic Technology

Background:

  • Capnocytophaga canimorsus and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi are gram-negative bacteria transmissible from dogs and cats, capable of causing severe human infections.
  • Conventional identification methods like fermentation and phenotypic tests are inadequate for accurate species-level differentiation of these Capnocytophaga species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the diagnostic performance of VITEK2 and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for the identification of Capnocytophaga canimorsus and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi.
  • To compare the accuracy and speed of VITEK2 and MALDI-TOF against a species-specific PCR reference method.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty-two bacterial isolates previously identified as C. canimorsus/C. cynodegmi by 16S rRNA sequencing were analyzed.
  • VITEK2 automated system and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry were employed for bacterial identification.
  • A Capnocytophaga species-specific PCR assay served as the reference standard for confirmation.

Main Results:

  • Species-specific PCR identified six isolates as C. canimorsus and 14 as C. cynodegmi; two isolates remained unidentified.
  • VITEK2 correctly identified Capnocytophaga spp. in 10 out of 20 isolates.
  • MALDI-TOF achieved high accuracy, correctly identifying 6/6 C. canimorsus and 13/14 C. cynodegmi isolates with an average identification time of 10 minutes per sample, compared to VITEK2's 6 hours.

Conclusions:

  • MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry provides rapid and accurate identification of Capnocytophaga canimorsus and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi.
  • MALDI-TOF is a superior diagnostic tool compared to VITEK2 for these specific bacterial pathogens in clinical settings.
  • The findings highlight MALDI-TOF's potential to improve the timely diagnosis and management of infections caused by these zoonotic bacteria.

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