Evaluation of CPS ID 2 chromogenic agar as a single medium for urine culture

The CPS ID 2 (CPS) chromogenic agar was compared to routine media for use in the isolation, enumeration, identification, and susceptibility testing of bacteria recovered from urine specimens. Of 487 urine specimens, 318 were culture negative, 12 were positive on CPS only, 16 positive on routine only, and 141 positive on both. The enumeration of microorganisms agreed for 96 of the 141 cultures. Fewer organisms were recovered on CPS for 25 cultures, more for 20 cultures. The identification of bacteria from CPS and routine media agreed for all isolates. Susceptibility testing was performed for 100 isolates. The categorical susceptibility test results from isolates grown on CPS agreed with results from routine media for 77 isolates. For the remaining 23 isolates, one or more discrepancies were seen involving 16 different antimicrobial agents; 27 minor, 1 major, and 6 very major errors. After additional testing, there were 10 confirmed errors, 7 minor and 3 very major errors. This study demonstrates that CPS agar is a reliable medium for culturing urine. Susceptibility testing directly from this medium resulted in low error rates for all antimicrobial agents tested.