Direct hemagglutination technique for differentiating Bacteroides asaccharolyticus oral strains from nonoral strains.

A simple and economical method for differentiating Bacteroides asaccharolyticus of oral sources from nonoral sources is described. The present data indicate that oral strains of B. asaccharolyticus strongly agglutinate sheep erythrocytes, whereas isolates from various nonoral sites typically are devoid of hemagglutination activity. The direct hemagglutination test may aid in determining the source of B. asaccharolyticus present in an infection, and thus the procedure has potential value as a means of biotyping.