Virtual Journal of Laser

We report on an investigation into a common problem in microbiology laboratories, which is associated with the difficulty of distinguishing/recognising different strains of the genus Staphylococcus. We demonstrate the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a rapid techniques allowing for the identification of different isolates for the detection of biofilm-positive and biofilm-negative Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. For this, the recorded spectra were interpreted using the approach of principal component analysis (PCA). (© 2010 by Astro Ltd., Published exclusively by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA)