Rapid identification of Staphylococcus aureus in blood cultures by a combination of fluorescence in situ hybridization using peptide nucleic acid probes and flow cytometry

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using peptide nucleic acid probes (PNAs) allows the identification of Staphylococcus aureus from human blood culture samples. We present data revealing that the combination of PNA FISH and flow cytometry is a possible approach for the noncultural identification of staphylococci in blood cultures.