The influence on numerical taxonomic similarities of errors in microbiological tests.

SUMMARY: A study is made of the effect of experimental errors of microbiological tests upon similarity values used in numerical taxonomy. For the coefficient S SM approximations are given for the mean and standard error of similarity values when some test results are erroneous, S’, if the true value of similarity (S), the average probability in 1, 0 data of erroneous tests results (p), and the number of tests (n) are known. Formulae are given for estimating p from an analysis of variance, and for including or excluding chosen factors that affect test reproducibility. When p is over about 10% the error of similarity values becomes unacceptably large. Test error also increases the existing sampling error. It is generally better to employ many tests even if they are not as reproducible as desired, rather than to use only a few extremely reproducible tests. Examples are given suggesting that within one laboratory p can usually be kept below 5%, but the discrepancies between laboratories may often be much larger. It is advisable to replicate some of the strains in numerical taxonomic studies, so as to afford a check on test reproducibility.

[1]  R. J. Taylor.  INTRAINDIVIDUAL PHENOLIC VARIATION IN THE GENUS TIARELLA (SAXIFRAGACEAE); ITS GENETIC REGULATION AND APPLICATION TO SYSTEMATICS , 1971 .

[2]  E. B. Shirling,et al.  Serological characteristics of Streptomyces species using cell wall immunizing antigens. , 1970, Canadian journal of microbiology.

[3]  F. James Rohlf,et al.  Robustness of Numerical Taxonomic Methods and Errors in Homology , 1969 .

[4]  S. Bascomb,et al.  Use of selenite reduction in bacterial classification. , 1968, The Journal of applied bacteriology.

[5]  P H Sneath,et al.  Vigour and pattern in taxonomy. , 1968, Journal of general microbiology.

[6]  Goodall Dw,et al.  The distribution of the matching coefficient. , 1967 .

[7]  W. R. Lockhart.  Factors Affecting Reproducibility of Numerical Classifications , 1967, Journal of bacteriology.

[8]  R. Sokal,et al.  Principles of numerical taxonomy , 1965 .

[9]  R. Colwell,et al.  QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF BACTERIAL SPECIES , 1963, Journal of bacteriology.

[10]  D. G. Beech,et al.  Handbook of Statistical Tables. , 1962 .

[11]  M. Grewal.  The rate of genetic divergence of sublines in the c57bl strain of mice. , 1962 .

[12]  George W. Snedecor,et al.  Statistical methods applied to experiments in agriculture and biology. , 1946 .

[13]  Raymond J. Johnson.  Aspects of the taxonomy of bordetella and related organisms. , 1972 .

[14]  E. Argyle,et al.  Cluster analysis of viral proteins. , 1970 .

[15]  F. James Rohlf,et al.  Biometry: The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research , 1969 .

[16]  D. W. Goodall,et al.  The distribution of the matching coefficient. , 1967, Biometrics.

[17]  D. Gottlieb.  An evaluation of criteria and procedures used in the description and characterization of the Streptomycetes. A cooperative study. , 1961, Applied microbiology.