Evaluation of the Biolog system for the identification of certain closely related Pasteurella species

The zoonotic impact of Pasteurella species in human wounds caused by cats and dogs has increased recently. In this study, the effectiveness of the Biolog Microstation ID System (Biolog, Hayward, CA) for the identification of certain species of Pasteurella sensu stricto was analysed. Thirty-eight isolates originating from dogs and cats were studied by pheno- and genotypic methods. The classical biochemical tests identified these isolates as P. multocida, P. dagmatis, and P. canis, while the Biolog system distinguished only 2 categories: P. multocida and P. dagmatis. The sodA gene sequence-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates identified as P. dagmatis by the Biolog system were either P. dagmatis, P. canis, or P. dagmatis-like genomospecies. The low discrimination power of the Biolog system in the case of these closely related Pasteurella species draws attention to the need of continuously improving the database of automated microbial identification systems.