A cost-effective protocol for screening patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Area of Science:

• Clinical Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Diagnostic Development

Background:

• Hospital-acquired infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a growing global concern.
• Early identification of MRSA carriers is vital for preventing patient-to-patient transmission.
• Current molecular methods for MRSA detection are often technically demanding and costly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a modified latex agglutination test (Mastalex-MRSA) for rapid MRSA identification.
• To assess the test's performance on clinical samples from chromogenic agar plates.
• To compare the cost-effectiveness and speed of the modified test against existing methods.

Main Methods:

• Modification of the Mastalex-MRSA latex agglutination test for penicillin-binding protein 2' detection.
• Testing on known MRSA strains and other organisms from chromogenic agar plates.
• Analysis of 3050 patient samples, with presumptive positives evaluated using the modified kit.

Main Results:

• The modified test identified MRSA on chromogenic agar plates, with some samples usable directly from overnight incubation.
• A significant proportion of samples were suitable after a short incubation on blood agar.
• The modified test costs Euro 15.15 per positive result, substantially less than PCR (Euro 35.00).
• This protocol enables presumptive positive MRSA results approximately 24 hours earlier than current methods.

Conclusions:

• The modified Mastalex-MRSA test provides a rapid, cost-effective method for presumptive MRSA identification.
• This approach can significantly expedite the reporting of MRSA status in clinical laboratories.
• The modified test offers a practical alternative to more complex molecular assays for early MRSA detection.