Vitek 2 anc cards – a step ahead in microbiological analysis - a clinical report of two cases

Background: Periodontitis has been defined as an inflammatory disease of supporting structures of teeth, of specific bacterial origin which progress with attachment loss. The etiology of the disease is multi factorial and bacterial deposits play an essential role in the pathogenesis. The bacteria that are involved in periodontitis accumulate in the sub-gingival plaque that comprises predominantly of Gram-negative strict anaerobic rods. Among them Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Bacteroides spp., Selenomonas spp. Predominate accurate identification of numerous bacterial species is nowadays possible with highly automated systems that are increasingly used in clinical laboratories because of their cost effectiveness, practicability, and ability to provide rapid turnaround time. It is now well established that anaerobes may be involved in numerous infections, including severe infections. Until recently, however, identification of anaerobes in clinical laboratories relied mainly on the use of time-consuming and lab or-intensive conventional methods or of manual commercial systems, the performances of which are quite variable at the species level. BioMe´rieux (Marcy, France) has recently developed a new colorimetric identification card (ANC card) which, in conjunction with the Vitek 2 system, permits this automated and widely distributed identification system to identify 63 taxa, including 49 taxa of anaerobic bacteria. Method: The aim of the present case reports is the identification of anaerobic bacteria using Vitek 2 ANC cards in Chronic Periodontitis patients. Results: The study showed that anaerobic organism identified were: Parvimonas micra, Fusobacterium species, Actinomyces species, Veillonella, peptostreptococcus in subjects with chronic periodontitis having probing depth ≥ 5mm taking GCF as a sample. Conclusion: The Vitek 2 ANC card provides a reliable identification for a limited number of relevant anaerobic bacteria species in a routine-diagnostic setting.