[Classification of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from urologic diseases]

A total of 174 strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated from the urine of urological patients in the USSR (Moscow) and the GDR (Wernigerode). Three schemes were used for identifying the species of the cultures (S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus): the scheme proposed by the International Subcommittee for Taxonomy of Staphylococci and Micrococci (1976), the scheme of Digranes and Oeding (1975) and the scheme proposed by the authors of the present work. The use of the above-mentioned schemes allowed to identify 25, 33 and 68 per cent of the strains respectively. S. epidermidis prevailed among the "urological" staphylococci isolated in Moscow, and S. saprophyticus prevailed among the staphylococci isolated in Wernigerode. The insufficient effectiveness of the existing schemes for identifying the species of coagulase-negative staphylococci and the necessity of searching for new reliable biological tests are emphasized.