title: Comparison of tests for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a clinical microbiology laboratory.
abstract: By microdilution testing, 186 of 1,450 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were preliminarily classified as oxacillin resistant (MIC > or = 4 micrograms/ml); 15 of these isolates gave conflicting results by alternative methods and were studied further. Only 2 of these (MIC > 4 micrograms/ml) were mecA positive; 13 were inhibited by oxacillin at 4 micrograms/ml. Significant numbers of S. aureus strains classified as resistant with an oxacillin MIC of 4 micrograms/ml may prove susceptible by other methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02215.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Unal
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: DeGirolami
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barsanti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eliopoulos
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010068:Oxacillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D010068:Oxacillin