Multicenter study to assess the use of BL-DetecTool for the detection of CTX-M-type ESBLs and carbapenemases directly from clinical specimens.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major public health problems worldwide. Multiple strategies have been put in place to address this problem. One of them is the rapid detection of the mechanisms of resistance, such as extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and/or carbapenemases. We conducted a multicenter study that included nine European centers for the assessment of prototypes of a novel lateral flow immunoassay-based device (BL-DetecTool) for a rapid detection of ESBL (NG-Test CTX-M-MULTI DetecTool) and/or carbapenemases (NG-Test CARBA 5 DetecTool) from Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in positive urine, positive blood cultures, and rectal swabs. We performed a prospective analysis between January 2021 and June 2022, including overall 22,010 samples. Based on each hospital information, the sensitivity to detect CTX-M was 84%-100%, 90.9%-100%, and 75%-100% for urine, positive blood cultures, and enriched rectal swabs, respectively. On the other hand, the sensitivity to detect carbapenemases was 42.8%-100%, 75%-100%, and 66.6%-100% for urine, positive blood cultures, and enriched rectal swab, respectively. BL-DetecTool allows a rapid and reliable detection of ESBL and carbapenemases directly from urine, positive blood cultures, or enriched rectal swabs, being an easy technique to implement in the workflow of clinical microbiology laboratories. IMPORTANCE: The assessed rapid assay to detect CTX-M beta-lactamases and carbapenemases directly from clinical samples can favor in the rapid detection of these mechanisms of resistance and hence the administration of a more adequate antimicrobial treatment.

Evaluation of a new rapid immunochromatographic assay for the detection of GES-producing Gram-negative bacteria.

BACKGROUND: As carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales are increasingly reported worldwide, their rapid detection is crucial to reduce their spread and prevent infections and outbreaks. Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) have become major tools for the detection of carbapenemases. However, as for most commercially available assays, only the five main carbapenemases are targeted. OBJECTIVES: Here, we have developed and evaluated an LFIA prototype for the rapid and reliable detection of the increasingly identified GES-type ß-lactamases. METHODS: The GES LFIA was validated on 103 well-characterized Gram-negative isolates expressing various ß-lactamases grown on Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar, chromogenic, and chromogenic/selective media. RESULTS: The limit of detection of the assay was 106 cfu per test with bacteria grown on MH agar plates. GES LFIA accurately detected GES-type ß-lactamases irrespective of the culture media and the bacterial host. The GES LFIA was not able to distinguish between GES-ESBLs and GES-carbapenemases. Because GES enzymes are still rare, their detection as an ESBL or a carbapenemase remains important, especially because extensive use of carbapenems to treat ESBL infections may select for GES variants capable of hydrolysing carbapenems. CONCLUSIONS: The GES LFIA is efficient, rapid and easy to implement in the routine workflow of a clinical microbiology laboratory for the confirmation of GES-type ß-lactamases. Combining it with immunochromatographic assays targeting the five main carbapenemases (KPC, NDM, VIM, IMP and OXA-48) would improve the overall sensitivity for the most frequently encountered carbapenemases and ESBLs, especially in non-fermenters.

Performance evaluation of the UMIC® Cefiderocol to determine MIC in Gram-negative bacteria.

BACKGROUND: Cefiderocol is a catechol-substituted cephalosporin with potent in vitro activity against carbapenem-resistant (CR) Gram-negative bacteria (GNB). Cefiderocol susceptibility testing is complex because iron concentrations need to be taken into consideration. Here, we assessed the clinical performance of Bruker's UMIC® Cefiderocol and corresponding iron-depleted CAMHB to determine MIC by broth microdilution (BMD) for clinically relevant GNB. METHODS: MICs of cefiderocol for 283 GN clinical isolates were determined by BMD using iron-depleted CAMHB. Frozen panels were used as a reference. The concentration range of cefiderocol was 0.03-32 mg/L. The isolates, with different degrees of susceptibility to cefiderocol, included Enterobacterales (n = 180), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 49), Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 44) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (n = 10). RESULTS: The rates of categorical agreement (CA), essential agreement (EA) and bias were calculated to evaluate the performance of the UMIC® Cefiderocol, as compared with the reference method. Overall, the UMIC® Cefiderocol showed 90.8% EA (95% CI: 86.9%-93.7%) with a bias of -14.5% and a CA of 90.1% (95% CI: 86.1%-93.1%). For Enterobacterales, the UMIC® Cefiderocol showed 91.7% EA (95% CI: 86.7%-94.9%) with a bias of -25.0% and a CA of 87.8% (95% CI: 82.2%-91.8%). For non-fermenters, the UMIC® Cefiderocol showed 89.3% EA (95% CI: 81.9%-93.9%) (not significantly different from 90.0%, Student t-test) with a bias of -3.9% and a CA of 94.2% (95% CI: 87.7%-97.3%). CONCLUSIONS: UMIC® Cefiderocol is a valid method for the determination of cefiderocol MICs even if higher than expected discrepancies were observed with NDM-producing Enterobacterales, which presented in most cases MIC values close to the breakpoint.

Rapid detection of CTX-M-type ESBLs and carbapenemases directly from biological samples using the BL-DetecTool.

BACKGROUND: Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) have shown their usefulness for detecting CTX-M- and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPEs) in bacterial cultures. Here, we have developed and validated the BL-DetecTool to detect CTX-M enzymes and carbapenemases directly from clinical samples. METHODS: The BL-DetecTool is an LFIA that integrates an easy sample preparation device named SPID (Sampling, Processing, Incubation and Detection). It was evaluated in three University hospitals on urine, blood culture (BC) and rectal swab (RS) specimens either of clinical origin or on spiked samples. RS evaluation was done directly and after a 24 h enrichment step. RESULTS: The CTX-M BL-DetecTool was tested on 485 samples (154 BC, 150 urines, and 181 RS) and revealed a sensitivity and specificity of 97.04% (95% CI 92.59%-99.19%) and 99.43% (95% CI 97.95%-99.93%), respectively. Similarly, the Carba5 BL-DetecTool was tested on 382 samples (145 BC, 116 urines, and 121 RS) and revealed a sensitivity and specificity of 95.3% (95% CI 89.43%-98.47%) and 100% (95% CI 98.67%-100%), respectively. While with the Carba5 BL-DetecTool five false negatives were observed, mostly in RS samples, with the CTX-M BL-DetecTool, in addition to four false-negatives, two false-positives were also observed. Direct testing of RS samples revealed a sensitivity of 78% and 86% for CTX-M and carbapenemase detection, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: BL-DetecTool showed excellent biological performance, was easy-to-use, rapid, and could be implemented in any microbiology laboratory around the world, without additional equipment, no need for electricity, nor trained personnel. It offers an attractive alternative to costly molecular methods.

Biochemical characterization of OXA-244, an emerging OXA-48 variant with reduced ß-lactam hydrolytic activity.

BACKGROUND: OXA-48-producing Enterobacterales have widely disseminated globally with an increasing number of variants identified. Among them, OXA-244 is increasingly reported, despite detection difficulties. OBJECTIVES: To determine the steady-state kinetic parameters of OXA-244. METHODS: The blaOXA-244 gene was amplified, cloned into plasmids p-TOPO and pET41b+, and transformed into Escherichia coli TOP10 for MIC determination and E. coli BL21 DE3 for purification. Steady-state kinetic parameters and IC50s of clavulanic acid, tazobactam and NaCl were determined using purified OXA-244. Molecular modelling was also performed. RESULTS: A reduction in MICs of temocillin and carbapenems was observed in E. coli expressing OXA-244 as compared with OXA-48. The kinetic parameters revealed a reduced carbapenemase activity of OXA-244 as compared with OXA-48, especially for imipenem, which was 10-fold lower. Similarly, catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) was reduced by 4-fold and 20-fold for ampicillin and temocillin, respectively. Kinetic parameters for cephalosporins were, however, similar. Molecular modelling studies evidenced the key role of R214 in OXA-48, establishing salt bridges with D159 and with the carboxylate group of the R1 substituent of temocillin. These interactions are not possible with G214 in OXA-244, explaining the reduced affinity of temocillin for this enzyme. The R214G mutation in OXA-244 is also likely to induce changes in the active site's water network that would explain the decrease in the hydrolysis rate of carbapenems. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm that the R214G mutation (present in OXA-244) results in reduced carbapenem- and temocillin-hydrolysing activity, confirming the crucial role of residue 214 in the hydrolysis of these substrates by OXA-48-like ß-lactamases.

Improvement of the Immunochromatographic NG-Test Carba 5 Assay for the Detection of IMP Variants Previously Undetected.

Here, we evaluated the immunochromatographic assay NG-Test Carba 5v2 (NG-Biotech), with improved IMP variant detection on 31 IMP producers, representing the different branches of the IMP phylogeny, including 32 OXA-48, 19 KPC, 12 VIM, 14 NDM, and 13 multiple carbapenemase producers (CPs), 13 CPs that were not targeted, and 13 carbapenemase-negative isolates. All tested IMP variants were accurately detected without impairing detection of the other carbapenemases. Thus, NG-Test Carba 5v2 is now well adapted to countries with high IMP prevalence and to the epidemiology of CP-Pseudomonas aeruginosa, where IMPs are most frequently detected.

Comparison of Two Phenotypic Algorithms To Detect Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae.

A novel algorithm designed for the screening of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), based on faropenem and temocillin disks, was compared to that of the Committee of the Antibiogram of the French Society of Microbiology (CA-SFM), which is based on ticarcillin-clavulanate, imipenem, and temocillin disks. The two algorithms presented comparable negative predictive values (98.6% versus 97.5%) for CPE screening among carbapenem-nonsusceptible Enterobacteriaceae However, since 46.2% (n = 49) of the CPE were correctly identified as OXA-48-like producers by the faropenem/temocillin-based algorithm, it significantly decreased the number of complementary tests needed (42.2% versus 62.6% with the CA-SFM algorithm).

Molecular, Genetic, and Biochemical Characterization of OXA-484 Carbapenemase, a Difficult-to-Detect R214G Variant of OXA-181.

OXA-244, an R214G variant of OXA-48, is silently spreading worldwide likely because of difficulties in detection using classical screening media. Here, we characterized two clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Citrobacter youngae that displayed reduced susceptibility to carbapenems but were lacking significant carbapenemase activity as revealed by negative Carba NP test results. However, positive test results were seen for OXA-48-like enzymes by lateral flow immunoassays. WGS revealed the presence of a blaOXA-181-like gene that codes for OXA-484, an R214G variant of OXA-181. BlaOXA-484 gene was located on a 58.4-kb IncP1-like plasmid (pN-OXA-484), that upon transfer into E. coli HB4 with impaired permeability, conferred carbapenem and temocillin resistance (MICs > 32 mg/L). E. coli TOP10 (pTOPO-OXA-484) revealed reduced MICs in most substrates as compared to E. coli TOP10 (pTOPO-OXA-181), especially for imipenem (0.25 mg/L versus 0.75 mg/L) and temocillin (16 mg/L versus 1028 mg/L). Catalytic efficiencies of OXA-484 were reduced as compared to OXA-181 for most ß-lactams including imipenem and temocillin with 27.5- and 21.7-fold reduction, respectively. Molecular modeling confirmed that the salt bridges between R214, D159, and the R1 substituent's carboxylate group of temocillin were not possible with G214 in OXA-484, explaining the reduced affinity for temocillin. In addition, changes in active site's water network may explain the decrease in hydrolysis rate of carbapenems. OXA-484 has weak imipenem and temocillin hydrolytic activities, which may lead to silent spread due to underdetection using selective screening media or biochemical imipenem hydrolysis confirmatory tests.

A multicentre evaluation of the NG-test DetecTool OXA-23 for the rapid detection of OXA-23 carbapenemase directly from blood cultures.

Objectives: A multicentre study evaluating NG-Test DetecTool OXA-23 for the detection of OXA-23 carbapenemase directly from positive blood cultures (PBCs). Methods: The NG-Test DetecTool OXA-23 is an immunoassay that integrates a sample preparation device. We evaluated NG-Test DetecTool OXA-23 on 189 spiked and 126 clinical PBCs. The clinical samples' standard-of-care procedure consisted of bacterial identification from the first day of positivity by MALDI-TOF MS, conventional culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The immunoassay results were verified molecularly. The strains used for the spiked samples consisted of well-characterized Acinetobacter baumannii and Proteus mirabilis strains. Results: The NG-Test DetecTool OXA-23 was evaluated on 315 PBCs and revealed sensitivity of 100% (95% CI: 98.21%-100.00%) and specificity of 100% (95% CI: 96.73%-100.00%). It provided 204 true-positive results for OXA-23 in 196 bottles with carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) and 8 bottles with carbapenem-resistant P. mirabilis and also provided 111 true-negative results. There were no false-positive and no false-negative results. Among the 315 PBCs studied, 83 clinical blood cultures collected in the ICU of a Greek university hospital, which were tested prospectively, all yielded CRAB, and OXA-23 was correctly detected in all samples from the first day of positivity using the NG-Test DetecTool OXA-23. Conclusions: The NG-Test DetecTool OXA-23 has exhibited excellent sensitivity and specificity for OXA-23 detection in PBCs and can provide valuable information for appropriate selection of antibiotic therapy and early implementation of infection control measures.

Multiplex Lateral Flow Immunoassay for the Detection of Expanded-Spectrum Hydrolysis and CTX-M Enzymes.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of expanded-spectrum cephalosporinase (ESC) hydrolyzing ß-lactamases is essential for antibiotic stewardship. Here we have developed a multiplex lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) that detects cefotaxime-hydrolyzing activity as well as the most prevalent ESC-hydrolyzing ß-lactamases: the CTX-M-like. METHODS: The Rapid LFIA ESC test was evaluated retrospectively on 188 (139 Enterobacterales, 30 Pseudomonas spp. and 14 Acinetobacter spp.) agar-grown bacterial isolates with well-characterized ß-lactamase content. One single colony was resuspended in 150 µL extraction buffer containing cefotaxime, incubated at room temperature for 30 min prior to loading on the LFIA for reading within 10 min. RESULTS: Out of the 188 isolates, all 17 that did not express a ß-lactamase hydrolyzing cefotaxime gave negative results, and all 171 isolates expressing a ß-lactamase known to hydrolyze cefotaxime, gave a positive test result. In addition, all 86 isolates expressing a CTX-M-variant belonging to one of the five CTX-M-subgroups were correctly identified. The sensitivity and specificity was 100% for both tests. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the multiplex LFIA was efficient, fast, low cost and easy to implement in routine laboratory work for the confirmation of ESC hydrolyzing activity and the presence of CTX-M enzymes.

Evaluation of the EasyScreen™ ESBL/CPO Detection Kit for the Detection of ß-Lactam Resistance Genes.

Early detection of multidrug resistant bacteria is of paramount importance for implementing appropriate infection control strategies and proper antibacterial therapies. We have evaluated a novel real-time PCR assay using fluorescent probes and 3base® technology, the EasyScreenTM ESBL/CPO Detection Kit (Genetic Signatures, Newtown, Australia), for the detection of 15 ß-lactamase genes (blaVIM, blaNDM, blaIMP, blaOXA-48, blaKPC, blaOXA-23, blaOXA-51, blaSME,blaIMI, blaGES,blaTEM,blaSHV, blaCTX-M,blaCMY, blaDHA) and colistin resistance mcr-1 gene from 341 bacterial isolates (219 Enterobacterales, 66 P. aeruginosa and 56 A. baumannii) that were grown on Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar plates. One colony was suspended in provided extraction buffer, which lyses and converts the nucleic acids into a 3base®-DNA form (cytosines are converted into uracil, and subsequently thymine during PCR). The converted bacterial DNA is then added to the 6 PCR mixes, with primers for three targets plus one internal control. The EasyScreenTM ESBL/CPO Detection Kit was able to detect the 5-major (NDM, VIM, IMP, KPC, OXA-48) and 2-minor (IMI, Sme) carbapenemases and their variants irrespective of the species expressing them with nearly 100% sensitivity and specificity. With cephalosporinases CMY (82% of sensitivity) and DHA (87% of sensitivity) detection of chromosomally encoded variants was less efficient. Similarly, the chromosomally encoded OXA-51 variants were not consistently detected in A. baumannii. Despite being capable of efficiently detecting blaCTX-M-, blaTEM-, blaSHV- and blaGES-like genes, the EasyScreen™ ESBL/CPO Detection Kit was not able to distinguish between penicillinases and ESBL-variants of TEM and SHV and between GES-ESBLs and GES-carbapenemases. As GES enzymes are still rare, their detection as an ESBL or a carbapenemase remains important. Detection of mcr-1 was efficient, but none of the other mcr-alleles were detected in the 341 bacterial isolates tested. The EasyScreenTM ESBL/CPO Detection Kit is adapted for the detection of the most prevalent carbapenemases encountered in Gram-negatives isolated worldwide.

Comparison of Three Expanded-Spectrum Cephalosporin Hydrolysis Assays and the NG-Test CTX-M Multi Assay That Detects All CTX-M-Like Enzymes.

Rapid detection of expanded-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) hydrolysing enzymes is crucial to implement infection control measures and antibiotic stewardship. Here, we have evaluated three biochemical ESC hydrolysis assays (ESBL NDP test, ß-LACTA™ test, LFIA-CTX assay) and the NG-Test® CTX-M MULTI that detects CTX-M enzymes, on 93 well-characterized Gram-negative isolates, including 60 Enterobacterales, 21 Pseudomonas spp. and 12 Acinetobacter spp. The performances were good for all three hydrolysis assays, with the LFIA-CTX being slightly more sensitive and specific on the tested panel of isolates especially with Enterobacterales, without ambiguous results. This study showed that LFIA-CTX may be used for the detection of ESC hydrolysis as a competitive alternative to already available assays (ß-LACTA™ test and ESBL NDP test) without any specific equipment and reduced hands-on-time. The lateral flow immunoassay NG-Test® CTX-M MULTI has proven to be a useful, easy, rapid, and reliable confirmatory test in Enterobacterales for detection of CTX-M-type ESBLs, which account for most of the resistance mechanisms leading to ESC resistance in Enterobacterales, but it misses rare ESC hydrolysing ß-lactamases (AmpC, minor ESBLs, and carbapenemases). Combining it with the LFIA-CTX assay would yield an assay detecting the most frequently-encountered ESBLs (CTX-M-like ß-lactamases) together with ESC hydrolysis.

Detection of expanded-spectrum cephalosporin hydrolysis by lateral flow immunoassay.

Early detection of expanded-spectrum cephalosporin (ESC) resistance is essential not only for an effective therapy but also for the prompt implementation of infection control measures to prevent dissemination in the hospital. We have developed and validated a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), called LFIA-CTX test, for the detection of ESC (cefotaxime) hydrolytic activity based on structural discrimination between the intact antibiotic and its hydrolysed product. A single bacterial colony was suspended in an extraction buffer containing cefotaxime. After a 30-min incubation, the solution is loaded on the LFIA for reading within 10 min. A total of 348 well-characterized Gram-negative isolates were tested. Among them, the 38 isolates that did not express any cefotaxime-hydrolysing ß-lactamase gave negative results. Of the 310 isolates expressing at least one cefotaxime-hydrolysing ß-lactamase, all were tested positive, except three OXA-48-like producers, which were repeatedly detected negative. Therefore, the sensitivity was 99.1% and the specificity was 100%. The LFIA-CTX test is efficient, fast, low-cost and easy to implement in the workflow of a routine microbiology laboratory.

Rapid Detection of VanA/B-Producing Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Using Lateral Flow Immunoassay.

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VREs) have become one of the most important nosocomial pathogens worldwide, associated with increased treatment costs, prolonged hospital stays and high mortality. Rapid detection is crucial to reduce their spread and prevent infections and outbreaks. The lateral flow immunoassay NG-Test VanB (NG Biotech) was evaluated for the rapid detection of VanB-producing vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VanB-VREs) using 104 well-characterized enterococcal isolates. The sensitivity and specificity were both 100% when bacterial cells were grown in the presence of vancomycin used as a VanB inducer. The NG-Test VanB is an efficient, rapid and easy to implement assay in clinical microbiology laboratories for the confirmation of VanB-VREs from colonies. Together with the NG-Test VanA, they could replace the already existing tests available for the confirmation of acquired vancomycin resistance in enterococci, especially from selective media or from antibiograms, with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Rapid detection in less than 15 min will result in more efficient management of carriers and infected patients. In addition, these tests may be used for positive blood cultures, given a 3.5 h sub-culturing step on Chocolate agar PolyViteX in the presence of a 5-µg vancomycin disk, which is routinely performed in many clinical microbiology laboratories for every positive blood culture for subsequent MALDI-TOF identification of the growing bacteria.

A Lateral Flow Immunoassay for the Rapid Identification of CTX-M-Producing Enterobacterales from Culture Plates and Positive Blood Cultures.

We have developed a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), named NG-Test CTX-M MULTI (NG-Test), to detect group 1, 2, 8, 9, 25 CTX-M producers from agar plates and from positive blood cultures in less than 15 min. The NG-Test was validated retrospectively on 113 well-characterized enterobacterial isolates, prospectively on 102 consecutively isolated ESBL-producers from the Bicêtre hospital and on 100 consecutive blood cultures positive with a gram-negative bacilli (GNB). The NG-Test was able to detect all CTX-M producers grown on the different agar plates used in clinical microbiology laboratories. No false positive nor negative results were observed. Among the 102 consecutive ESBL isolates, three hyper mucous isolates showed an incorrect migration leading to invalid results (no control band). Using an adapted protocol, the results could be validated. The NG-Test detected 99/102 ESBLs as being CTX-Ms. Three SHV producers were not detected. Among the 100 positive blood cultures with GNB tested 10/11 ESBL-producers were detected (8 CTX-M-15, 2 CTX-M-27). One SHV-2-producing-E. cloacae was missed. The NG-Test CTX-M MULTI showed 100% sensitivity and specificity with isolates cultured on agar plates and was able to detect 98% of the ESBL-producers identified in our clinical setting either from colonies or from positive blood cultures.

Evaluation of the Carbapenem Detection Set™ for the detection and characterization of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

The objective of this study was to assess the performance of the Carbapenemase Detection Set™ (CDS; Mast Diagnostics) in association with i) the EUCAST meropenem screening cut-off and ii) the faropenem-temocillin algorithm (FTa) for the screening of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). A total of 200 well-characterized enterobacterial isolates with reduced susceptibility to at least one carbapenem including 63 non-CPEs and 137 CPEs belonging to different Ambler classes were initially screened for CPEs using i) the EUCAST meropenem cut-off (diameter <25 mm) and ii) the FTa. Highly suspected CPEs underwent further testing using the CDS, which is based on the inhibition zone diameters determination of combined disks (A: meropenem, B: meropenem + dipicolinic acid, C: meropenem + cloxacillin, and D: meropenem + boronic acid). With the FTa, 66.7% of the non-CPE isolates were correctly identified. Most OXA-48-like producers (90.5%) were detected with 98.6% specificity. The FTa discriminates CPE from non-CPE with 100% sensitivity, but complementary tests were still needed for 59 % (118/200) of the strains. The EUCAST cut-off led to 3 false-negative results (2 OXA-181 and 1 NMC-A producer) resulting in a sensitivity of 97.8% for the discrimination between CPE and non-CPE, and 75.5% (151/200) of the strains still required complementary test. The CDS reduced the number of isolates requiring additional tests from 59% to 22%, and from 75.5% to 38% for FTa and EUCAST cut-off, respectively. FTa possesses very good specificities for the detection and classification of Ambler class A and most class B carbapenemase-producers, except for IMP producers, which were almost not detected (10/11). In conclusion, the association of the CDS with the FTa presented only 22% of inconclusive results, while this number was 38% with the EUCAST meropenem CPE screening cut-off.

MMPI-2 short form proposal: CAUTION.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) is widely used in neuropsychology, though its length (567 items) is sometimes prohibitive. This study investigated some psychometric characteristics of the 180-item version of the MMPI-2 () in order to delineate its strengths, limitations, and appropriate scope of clinical application. Limited reliability and poor predictive accuracy were recently reported for many of the MMPI-2 short-form scales in a study that used 205 brain-injured patients. In the present investigation, we used a psychiatric sample (N=186) with normal neurological findings to examine short-form accuracy in predicting basic scale scores, profile code types, identifying high-point scales, and classifying scores as pathological (T>/=65) or normal-range. The results suggest that, even as applied to neurologically normal individuals, the proposed short form of the MMPI-2 is unreliable for predicting clinical code types, identifying the high-point scale, or predicting the scores on most of the basic scales. In contrast, this short form can be used to predict whether the full-scale scores fall within the pathological range (T>/=65). These findings suggest that clinicians might be able to salvage a small amount of information from the shortened (180-item) version of the MMPI-2 when MMPI-2 protocols are incomplete. However, clinicians should not use a standard interpretive approach with this test, and routine clinical application is unwarranted. Future evaluations of short-form validity should provide a more detailed examination of individual protocols, including an analysis of the frequency of accurate prediction of full-form scores.