Automated methods for bacterial classification

[Dorothy Miyake]

HI.  I hope someone out there can help me or at least voice an opinion
on this!

I wish to classify the normal bacteria in the gut of salmon.  The bacteria
tend to grow around 10 - 20 degrees celcius.  I have considered using an
automated system (namely API 20E) to partially classify the flora, BUT am
faced with the following problems:

1)  This system only deals with gram negatives doesn't it?  Is there a
database of numbers for species NOT in the API book?

2)  The system is standardized for incubation at 37 degrees celcius.  Do
you think that incubating at a lower temperature would change the results?
Do you have any opinion on how long to incubate?

3)  It seems to me that the organisms I am most likely to encounter are not
even listed in the API book, and I am worried about obtaining false i.d.'s.

I am beginning to think that my only choice is to obtain standard cultures
of the organisms I am most likely to encounter and to use the results of
these (perhaps using numerical taxonomy) to classify my unknowns.  Any
opinions?

Thank you in advance,

Dorothy Miyake                              bitnet:   usermerl at cc.sfu.ca
Dept. Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada

tel: (604)-291-3504