Rapid Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Research Articles

Assessing the role of undetected colonization and isolation precautions in reducing Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureustransmission in intensive care units

BackgroundScreening and isolation are central components of hospital methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) control policies. Their prevention of patient-to-patient spread depends on minimizing undetected and unisolated MRSA-positive patient days. Estimating these MRSA-positive patient days and the reduction in transmission due to isolation presents a major methodological challenge, but is essential for assessing both the value of existing control policies and the potential benefit of new rapid MRSA detection technologies. Recent methodological developments have made it possible to estimate these quantities using routine surveillance data.MethodsColonization data from admission and weekly nares cultures were collected from eight single-bed adult intensive care units (ICUs) over 17 months. Detected MRSA-positive patients were isolated using single rooms and barrier precautions. Data were analyzed using stochastic transmission models and model fitting was performed within a Bayesian framework using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm, imputing unobserved MRSA carriage events.ResultsModels estimated the mean percent of colonized-patient-days attributed to undetected carriers as 14.1% (95% CI (11.7, 16.5)) averaged across ICUs. The percent of colonized-patient-days attributed to patients awaiting results averaged 7.8% (6.2, 9.2). Overall, the ratio of estimated transmission rates from unisolated MRSA-positive patients and those under barrier precautions was 1.34 (0.45, 3.97), but varied widely across ICUs.ConclusionsScreening consistently detected >80% of colonized-patient-days. Estimates of the effectiveness of barrier precautions showed considerable uncertainty, but in all units except burns/general surgery and one cardiac surgery ICU, the best estimates were consistent with reductions in transmission associated with barrier precautions.

Rapid MRSA test in exposed persons: Costs and savings in hospitals

To study a rapid Xpert polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in detecting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients and healthcare workers (HCW) exposed to MRSA, and to estimate savings associated to isolation or work restriction. A test set of four double (one for the growth and one for the rapid test) pre-wet swabs from the nose, throat, hands/wrists and perineum was studied by a growth method and by the Xpert MRSA test. The total correspondence between the growth and the rapid test was 92.8%. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were for the Xpert MRSA test: 87%, 99.6%, 68.5% and 99.9%, and for the growth test: 76%, 100%, 100%, and 99.8%, assuming a prevalence of MRSA of 0.01%. Among the MRSA positive persons, the Xpert and growth tests detected MRSA in 44.6% and 40% of nose samples, respectively, 38.2% and 45.5% throat samples, 30.8% and 11.5% hands/wrists samples, 44% and 38% perineum samples, and in 81.8% and 77.3% wound samples, respectively. By combining four anatomical sites, the detection rate increased to 87.5% by both methods. The cost for each Xpert and growth test was euro50 and euro6.25, respectively. The rapid test would save at least euro925 per exposed HCW and euro550 per patient that were MRSA negative. The MRSA Xpert test is easy to perform, has a high negative predictive value, and may be used to control healthcare workers and patients exposed to MRSA. Sampling from multiple anatomical locations is recommended. Still, more then 10% of MRSA positive cases may not be found.

Detection limits of a rapid MRSA detection assay based on multiplex real-time PCR

I wish to report the results of a study for the limits of detection of a rapid methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) detection assay based on a multiplex realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (BD GeneOhm MRSA assay, Fukushima, Japan), which was reported in the Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, Volume 15 (No. 4), 2009 [1]. ATCC 33591 (MRSA) was recovered on Mueller Hinton agar by overnight incubation at 37 C. Colonies were picked from the agar, adjusted to Mcfarland 0.5, and diluted to 10–10 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml (corresponding to approximately 10–10 CFU/reaction) by the sample buffer (Tris-EDTA buffer) of the BD GeneOhm MRSA assay kit [1]. The BD GeneOhm MRSA assay was performed four times at about the same concentration to determine the limits of detection. Table 1 shows the result of the tests. All tests were positive with 10–10 and 10 CFU/reaction; however, only half of the tests were positive with at a reaction concentration of 10 CFU. Although the results of the study show that at least 10 CFU/reaction is necessary to detect MRSA stably by the BD GeneOhm MRSA assay, compilation of data and further study with clinical samples are needed. Reference

Cost-effectiveness of rapid MRSA screening in surgical patients

This study investigates the effectiveness of a same-day polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a general screening of patients admitted to the trauma surgery and heart surgery department in a German university hospital. A total of 442 patients were screened over a 4-month period by using a PCR assay, compared to culture methods, for specimens from the nose and throat. The MRSA carriage rate on admission was 3.85% during the study period. The PCR results of 1,680 swabs showed a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 99.39% for swabs from the nares and for the throat 42.11% and 98.78%, respectively. A combination of specimens from the nose and throat from the same patient led to a sensitivity of 100% with a specificity of 98.29%. Cost calculation under the circumstances of a diagnosis-related groups (DRG) payment system found that the eight MRSA-positive patients created costs of 38,472 euros, i.e. 4,809 euros per patient, facing screening costs of 36.62 euros per sample. Screening patients by using the rapid PCR assay for a combination of specimens from the nose and throat would offer a safe and cost-effective way of MRSA screening on admission.

Rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus directly from clinical samples: methods, effectiveness and cost considerations.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates is a serious public health problem whose ever-increasing rate is commensurate with the pressure it is exerting on the healthcare system. At present, more than 20% of clinical S. aureus isolates in German hospitals are methicillin resistant. Strategies from low-prevalence countries show that this development is not necessarily inevitable. In the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands, thanks to a rigorous prevention programme, MRSA prevalence has been kept at an acceptably low level (<1–3%). Central to these ‘search and destroy’ control strategies is an admission screening using several MRSA swabs taken from mucocutaneous colonisation sites of high-risk patients (‘MRSA surveillance’).It has also been reported that the speed with which MRSA carriage is detected has an important role to play, as it is a key component of any effective strategy to prevent the pathogen from spreading. Since MRSA culturing involves a 2–3 day delay before the final results are available, rapid detection techniques (commonly referred to as ‘MRSA rapid tests’) using PCR methods and, most recently, rapid culturing methods have been developed. The implementation of rapid tests reduces the time of detection of MRSA carriers from 48–72 to 2–5 h. Clinical evaluation data have shown that MRSA can thus be detected with very high sensitivity. Specificity however is sometimes impaired due to false-positive PCR signals occurring in mixed flora specimens. In order to rule out any false-positive PCR results, a culture screen must always be carried out simultaneously.The data provide preliminary evidence that a PCR assay can reduce nosocomial MRSA transmission in high-risk patients or high-risk areas, whereas an approach that screens all patients admitted to the hospital is probably not effective. Information concerning the cost-effectiveness of rapid MRSA tests is still sparse and thus the issue remains debated.

Performance of Microcalorimetry for Early Detection of Methicillin Resistance in Clinical Isolates ofStaphylococcus aureus

We describe a calorimetric assay for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) within 5 h. Microbial heat was calculated in culture with and without cefoxitin. Among 30 genetically distinct clinical isolates, 19/20 MRSA (95%) and 10/10 methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (100%) were correctly identified. Microcalorimetry may be useful for rapid MRSA screening.

Comparative evaluation of a rapid MRSA detection assay based on multiplex real-time PCR versus MRSA screening cultures containing egg yolk

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been recommending the performance of active surveillance culture (ASC) for the prevention of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and their control since the guideline was issued in 2006, many variant types of MRSA with various characteristics have been found recently. As this change in MRSA characteristics makes it harder to screen MRSA only by cultures, it is expected that ASC will not be sufficient for the prevention of MRSA infections or MRSA infection control. We evaluated the comparative utility of the BD GeneOhm MRSA assay (a rapid MRSA detection test based on a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction [PCR] assay; Becton Dickinson, Fukushima, Japan) and MRSA screening cultures containing egg yolk. The results of the BD GeneOhm MRSA assay were as follows: all MRSA strains were positive, including one strain which became positive by retest; all methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) strains and methicillin-sensitive S. epidermidis (MSSE) strains were negative; 11 of 12 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains were negative, while 1 strain was positive; ATCC 33591 was positive, and ATCC 29213 was negative. The sensitivity and specificity of the BD GeneOhm MRSA assay were 100% and 97.4%, respectively. Nine egg yolk reaction-negative MRSA strains were found in 50 MRSA strains, and all MRSE, MSSA, and MSSE strains were denied as MRSA on Pourmedia MRSA II (Eiken Chemical, Tokyo, Japan) after 24-h or 48-h incubation at 35 degrees C. The sensitivity and specificity of Pourmedia MRSA II were 82% and 100%, respectively. Similar results were obtained with some other cultures containing egg yolk.

Novel Rapid Culture-Based Detection Method for Methicillin-Resistant Streptococcus aureus

In the May 2008 issue of Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Malhotra-Kumar et al. (2) provided an excellent minireview of current trends in rapid diagnostics for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and glycopeptide-resistant enterococci. In this article, the authors describe a novel rapid culture-based assay, the 3M BacLite rapid MRSA test, which detects MRSA without the need for macroscopic growth of bacterial colonies, allowing the presence or absence of MRSA to be determined within 5 h. The article states the assay detects ciprofloxacin-resistant MRSA and comments that this may lead to the possibility of the assay not detecting community-acquired MRSA strains, as well as some hospital-acquired MRSA strains, that are sensitive to ciprofloxacin. The authors are correct in their statements but refer to an assay formulation that has not been available since February 2007, when ciprofloxacin was replaced by cefoxitin as a selective agent.

Microbiological evaluation of a new growth-based approach for rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

ObjectivesRecently, a rapid screening tool for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been introduced that applies a novel detection technology allowing the rapid presence or absence of MRSA to be determined from an enrichment broth after only a few hours of incubation. To evaluate the reliability of this new assay to successfully detect MRSA strains of different origin and clonality, well-characterized S. aureus strains were tested in this study.MethodsMore than 700 methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant strains covering >90% of all registered European MRSA spa types within the SeqNet network were studied.ResultsAll 513 MRSA strains tested were recognized as methicillin-resistant: among these, 96 MRSA strains were from an institutional collection, each presenting a unique spa type. None of the 211 methicillin-susceptible strains were detected as positive.ConclusionsThe new growth-based rapid MRSA assay was shown to detect without exception all MRSA strains of large collections of strains comprising highly diverse genetic backgrounds, indicating that such a phenotypic test might be potentially more likely to cope with new strains.

Universal Screening for Methicillin-Resistant &lt;emph type="ital"&gt;Staphylococcus aureus&lt;/emph&gt; at Hospital Admission and Nosocomial Infection in Surgical Patients

Experts and policy makers have repeatedly called for universal screening at hospital admission to reduce nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. To determine the effect of an early MRSA detection strategy on nosocomial MRSA infection rates in surgical patients. Prospective, interventional cohort study conducted between July 2004 and May 2006 among 21 754 surgical patients at a Swiss teaching hospital using a crossover design to compare 2 MRSA control strategies (rapid screening on admission plus standard infection control measures vs standard infection control alone). Twelve surgical wards including different surgical specialties were enrolled according to a prespecified agenda, assigned to either the control or intervention group for a 9-month period, then switched over to the other group for a further 9 months. During the rapid screening intervention periods, patients admitted to the intervention wards for more than 24 hours were screened before or on admission by rapid, multiplex polymerase chain reaction. For both intervention (n=10 844) and control (n=10 910) periods, standard infection control measures were used for patients with MRSA in all wards and consisted of contact isolation of MRSA carriers, use of dedicated material (eg, gown, gloves, mask if indicated), adjustment of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis of MRSA carriers, computerized MRSA alert system, and topical decolonization (nasal mupirocin ointment and chlorhexidine body washing) for 5 days. Incidence of nosocomial MRSA infection, MRSA surgical site infection, and rates of nosocomial acquisition of MRSA. Overall, 10 193 of 10 844 patients (94%) were screened during the intervention periods. Screening identified 515 MRSA-positive patients (5.1%), including 337 previously unknown MRSA carriers. Median time from screening to notification of test results was 22.5 hours (interquartile range, 12.2-28.2 hours). In the intervention periods, 93 patients (1.11 per 1000 patient-days) developed nosocomial MRSA infection compared with 76 in the control periods (0.91 per 1000 patient-days; adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.69; P = .29). The rate of MRSA surgical site infection and nosocomial MRSA acquisition did not change significantly. Fifty-three of 93 infected patients (57%) in the intervention wards were MRSA-free on admission and developed MRSA infection during hospitalization. A universal, rapid MRSA admission screening strategy did not reduce nosocomial MRSA infection in a surgical department with endemic MRSA prevalence but relatively low rates of MRSA infection. isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN06603006.

Comparison of Single- and Multilocus Sequence Typing and Toxin Gene Profiling for Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

We compared three novel methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) genotyping methods with multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and spa typing to assess their utility for routine strain typing. The new methods were femA and nuc sequence typing and toxin gene profiling (TGP), using a multiplex-PCR-based reverse line blot assay to detect 13 pyrogenic superantigen and exfoliative toxin genes. Forty-two well-characterized MRSA strains, representing 15 MLSTs or 9 clonal clusters (CCs), were genotyped by all methods. Twenty-two spa, nine femA, and seven nuc sequence types were identified. The femA sequence types correlated exactly with CCs; nuc sequences types were less discriminatory but generally correlated well with femA types and CCs. Ten isolates contained none of 13 toxin genes; TGPs of the remainder comprised 1 to 5 toxin genes. The combination of spa typing and TGPs identified 26 genotypes among the 42 strains studied. A combination of two or three rapid, inexpensive genotyping methods could potentially provide rapid MRSA strain typing as well as useful information about clonal origin and virulence.

Rapid molecular detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a cost-effective tool for infection control in critical care?

Control strategies for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in critical care remain debated. Timely detection of MRSA carriers is crucial to an effective isolation policy. In this issue, Harbarth and colleagues report rapid MRSA screening among intensive care unit-admitted patients using a PCR assay. Preemptive isolation for all admissions until screened negative for MRSA was associated with a reduction of intensive care unit-acquired MRSA infections in one of two study units. The data provide preliminary evidence to the effectiveness of a MRSA control strategy combining rapid screening by a molecular method and preventive isolation. Further controlled studies are needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of this intervention.

Evaluation of Two New Chromogenic Media, CHROMagar MRSA and S. aureus ID, for Identifying Staphylococcus aureus and Screening Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus

Thirty-nine methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates with diverse genetic backgrounds and two reference strains were correctly identified as S. aureus on CHROMagar MRSA and S. aureus ID media. Growth inhibition on CHROMagar MRSA was noted. A combination of cefoxitin disk and S. aureus ID was found suitable for rapid MRSA screening.

Rapid and specific molecular identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in endotracheal aspirates from mechanically ventilated patients.

Multiplex amplification of femA and mecA genetic determinants allowed an early and rapid identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in endotracheal aspirates of mechanically ventilated patients. femA and/or mecA amplification and bacteriological results were concordant in 57 of 60 samples. In all three discrepant cases, complementary bacteriological tests confirmed the presence of MRSA first identified by molecular analysis. These results underline the value and rapidity of this molecular diagnosis for MRSA infection and control surveillance in intensive care units. Rapid MRSA detection is expected to have a significant clinical impact not only on patient outcome but also on the costs for isolation and treatment.