Comparison of Two Minikits (API and R-B) for Identification of Enterobacteriaceae Isolated from Poultry and Meat Products

Abstract

Two miniaturized commercial kits (API and R-B) were evaluated for identification of 373 strains of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from selected poultry and meat and meat products, such as frozen chicken pot pie, frozen comminuted chicken, processed chicken, ground beef, and pork sausage. The taxonomic classification by these two systems was identical for 59% (221/373) of the isolates. Whenever the two systems disagreed, cultures were identified by conventional methods. The API correctly classified 82% (306/373) of the isolates, while R-B correctly classified 72% (267/373). Most of the disagreements involved organisms of the Klebsiella-Enterobacter-Serratia group of the Enterobacteriaceae family.