Evaluation of Immulex S. pneumoniae Omni test for the direct detection of S. pneumoniae from positive blood cultures

Rapid and early identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae from positive blood cultures is crucial for the management of patients with bloodstream infections (BSI). Many identification systems in microbiology laboratories have difficulty differentiating S. pneumoniae from other closely related species in the Streptococcus mitis group. To overcome this limitation, we developed a rapid workflow in our laboratory combining direct MALDI-TOF MS identification with the Immulex S. pneumoniae Omni test (SSI Diagnostica, Denmark) for rapid detection of S. pneumoniae directly from positive blood cultures. The workflow was evaluated using 51 Streptococcus isolates. Compared to conventional biochemical testing, our new workflow demonstrates 100 % specificity and sensitivity for the detection and differentiation of S. pneumoniae from other closely related species. Our new workflow is accurate, cost-effective, and can easily be implemented in microbiology laboratories that already perform direct MALDI-TOF identification from positive blood cultures to improve the management of patients with invasive pneumococcal disease. IMPORTANCE: Invasive pneumococcal disease remains a major public health problem worldwide. Reducing the time to identify Streptococcus pneumoniae in positive blood cultures allows patients to be treated sooner with more targeted and effective antibiotics. We evaluated a two-step protocol where positive blood cultures are first tested directly by MALDI-TOF MS and any samples containing Streptococcus species are tested by Immulex S. pneumoniae Omni test to both detect and differentiate S. pneumoniae from other closely related Streptococcus species. Our study results showed 100 % sensitivity and specificity, and a much faster turn-around time than conventional methods.