[Evaluation of the usefulness of standard strains sets from the senior collection for typing Proteus mirabilis strains].

The object of our study constituted 651 P. mirabilis strains, isolated from samples of clinical material, which were typed by the standard strain set from the B.W. Senior collection. One hundred and sixty seven types of reaction (P/S) were determined basing on their ability to produce proticine++ or on their susceptibility to proticine++. No typing strains (PO/SO) made up 10.4%. On the other hand, strains that typed by the presented method could be classified in separate groups of clinical material within the range of 44.2%-73.5%. Particular P/S types were looked for, such that would detect so-called hospital strains. Among the strains typing in all groups of clinical material (apart from autopsy), the production of proticine++ 2 and 3 was dominated. Susceptibility of P. mirabilis strains to given proticine slightly differed in separate groups of clinical material. The majority of strains were susceptible to proticine++ 9. P. mirabilis strains produced one or several proticine and were also susceptible to one or several of them. Thorough analysis did not establish the dominance of whatever P/S type in respective groups of clinical material or of particular P/S types characteristic of a given disease. In the case of mixed infections no correlation was established between the P/S P. mirabilis type and the occurrence of accompanying microorganisms. The discussed method of typing P. mirabilis strains by the standard strain set from the B.W. Senior collection makes it possible to obtain a higher percentage of strain differentiation as compared with findings reported by other authors. Hence our recommendation to use this set as well as the modified typing method in epidemiological analysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)