Open AccessRANDOM COLONY SELECTION VERSUS COLONY MORPHOLOGY FOR DETECTION OF MULTIPLE PNEUMOCOCCAL SEROTYPES IN NASOPHARYNGEAL SWABS
Author(s) -
Kim M. Hare,
Peter S. Morris,
Heidi SmithVaughan,
Amanda J. Leach
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the pediatric infectious disease journal/the pediatric infectious disease journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1532-0987
pISSN - 0891-3668
DOI - 10.1097/inf.0b013e31815bb6c5
Subject(s) - serotype , selection (genetic algorithm) , carriage , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , virology , pathology , artificial intelligence , computer science
Detection of multiple serotype carriage is important in understanding pneumococcal epidemiology. We compared random selection of 4 pneumococcal colonies per swab with selection by colony morphology. Multiple serotypes were detected in 20% of 98 swabs; 14% by morphology and 17% by random selection. Selection by morphology was more efficient per colony, but underestimated the true rate of multiple carriage.