THE N/F AND OXI/FERM SYSTEMS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF OXIDATIVE‐FERMENTATIVE GRAM‐NEGATIVE RODS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

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Abstract
Two commercial systems, the Flow N/F System and the Roche Oxi/Ferm Tube for identification of oxidative-fermentative gram-negative rods were compared. Both systems were easy to use, but several reactions in both kits were sometimes difficult to interpret. Of 53 reference strains, 70% were identified correctly by the N/F System; the Oxi/Ferm Tube identified 43%. Incorrect identities were obtained in 9 and 26% of cases by the N/F and Oxi/Ferm kits, respectively. The remaining isolates required additional tests for definite identification. Of 67 clinical isolates, 27% were identified differently by the 2 systems and only 30% were in complete agreement. The N/F System should be of considerable use to the routine clinical laboratory for the identification of this group of organisms. The Oxi/Ferm Tube frequently requires additional tests and seems to be less accurate than the N/F System.