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Multiplex PCR Assay for Typing of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome Mec Types I to V in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: September 5, 2013
Evaluation of the mecA femB duplex polymerase chain reaction for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
D Jonas1, H Grundmann, D Hartung
1Institute of Environmental Medicine and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract:
This study systematically evaluated a recently described duplex polymerase chain reaction test for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with 25 different German epidemic strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and 66 staphylococci other than methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, including 17 different coagulase-negative staphylococcal species and subspecies, that were either oxacillin susceptible or oxacillin resistant. The results were compared with those of conventional cultural identification and susceptibility testing. Of the 91 isolates tested, all 25 confirmed strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were identified correctly. None of the remaining strains of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus was misidentified as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It was concluded that the duplex polymerase chain reaction appears to offer a time-saving and accurate method of detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
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