Effects of medium and inoculum variations on screening for high-level aminoglycoside resistance in Enterococcus faecalis

Enterococcus faecalis isolates that are refractory to aminoglycoside-penicillin synergy can be detected by their ability to grow in the presence of high concentrations of aminoglycoside (2,000 micrograms/ml). In past studies investigators have used a variety of media and inoculum sizes to perform high-level aminoglycoside resistance screens, but little is known about how these variations affect test accuracy. We screened 63 E. faecalis strains on different media by using various inoculum sizes and correlated the results with synergy test results obtained by time-kill studies. Screens were done with dextrose-phosphate agar, brain heart infusion agar, Trypticase soy agar with 5% sheep blood, Mueller-Hinton agar with 5% sheep blood, dextrose-phosphate broth, and Mueller-Hinton broth. Agar screens were inoculated with 10(2), 10(4), and 10(6) CFU; and broth screens contained a final inoculum of 10(5) CFU/ml. The E. faecalis isolates were tested for high-level resistance to streptomycin, kanamycin, amikacin, gentamicin, and tobramycin. Of the 63 isolates tested, 21 did not show high-level resistance to any of the aminoglycosides tested, and 42 demonstrated high-level resistance to one or more drugs. The sensitivity of most screens was greater than or equal to 90%. Regardless of the inoculum size or medium used, false-resistance results were seldom encountered. Screen specificity, which was used as the indicator of false susceptibility, was markedly influenced by both the inoculum size and the drug being tested. Specificity was low whenever a 10(2)-CFU inoculum was used, when amikacin was tested with any inoculum, and when tobramycin was tested in broth media. Data for kanamycin could be used to predict amikacin-penicillin synergy, and the highly accurate gentamicin screen obviated the need for the testing of tobramycin. We recommend a 10(6) -CFU inoculum for agar screens and a 10(5) -CFU/ml inoculum for broth screens. The type of medium used did not substantially influence screen accuracy. Among the aminoglycosides, only streptomycin, gentamicin, and occasionally, kanamycin need to be used to screen E. faecalis isolates for aminoglycoside-penicillin synergy.