Rapid Detection of Staphylococcus aureus and Related Species Isolated from Food, Environment, Cosmetics, a Medical Device, and Clinical Samples Using the VITEK MS Microbial Identification System

Staphylococcus spp. is considered as one of the most common human-pathogenic bacteria, causing illnesses ranging from nonthreatening skin infections to lethal diseases, including sepsis, pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and food poisoning. The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains has increased morbidity and mortality and resulted in a major healthcare burden worldwide. Single and multilocus sequence typing have been extensively used in the identification of Staphylococcus species. Nevertheless, these assays are relatively time-consuming and require high-quality DNA. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight has been used recently for the rapid identification of several bacterial species. In this study, we have examined 47 Staphylococcus isolates recovered from food, environment, clinical samples, cosmetic products, and a medical device and 3 American Type Culture Collection Staphylococcus reference isolates using bioMérieux VITEK MS and VITEK 2 systems to determine isolate identity. Sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was performed to confirm and compare the species identification data generated by VITEK 2 and VITEK MS systems. Although the VITEK 2 system could not identify one of the isolates, VITEK MS identified all 50 Staphylococcus spp. isolates tested. Results of this study clearly suggest that VITEK MS can be used in the rapid identification of Staphylococcus isolates of public health importance.