A program has been developed and is being used to compare and evaluate methods and/or laboratories when characterizing the same set of strains. The usual statistical packages are not useful because of the predominantly binary (i.e., discontinuous) nature of the data. The algorithm allows comparison of tests or laboratories at the levels of the individual strain (with replicate determinations), species, genus, and overall set for determination of test method equivalences and/or interlaboratory consistency. The program is being used to evaluate TB reference laboratories worldwide and to help develop new criteria for the separation of the AIDS patient-infective M. avium from the closely related noninfective M. intracellular. The first edition of the personal computer version of the Microbial Information System (MICRO-IS) was completed and is undergoing extensive testing in cooperating units. A program for conversion of controlled vocabulary information in text records of the Hybridoma Data Bank into the highly compressed, table oriented MICRO-IS format has been implemented. The conversion process also has extensive spelling, syntax, and format error checking capabilities. A related project is the development of algorithms for format analysis and standardization of text images obtained by direct input of microbiological laboratory notebook information. Such facilities are required for computer database building of valuable archival paper records of phenotypic strain data. Computer graphic algorithms are being tested to aid microbiologists in visualizing individual similarities as well as hierarchical group memberships among strains.
