Mathematical analysis of the API Enteric 20 Profile Register using a computer diagnostic model

Results for 21 biochemical tests using the API 20 Enteric kit were obtained from the manufacturer's files for 27,820 bacterial isolates. These isolates were identified by the API Profile Register and also by a computer diagnostic model which estimates the relative likelihoods of various identifications. The computer confirmed the identification in the API Profile Register for 99.36% of the isolates. The manufacturer has reviewed areas of the API Profile Register questioned by the computer analysis; a number of resulting modifications to the API Profile Register have been incorporated in an update letter. This computer model provides a convenient and powerful way to interpret a large number of test results for bacterial identification. This study also demonstrates the use of a large collection of isolates to refine the data matrix used by the diagnostic model.