[Detection of mecA gene of methicillin resistant staphylococci from oral swabs by polymerase chain reaction].
We evaluated the polymerase chain reaction method (PCR) for the rapid detection of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and compared it with the conventional culture method. Primers for amplification of mecA gene were synthesized by DNA synthesizer according to the published sequences of mecA gene. The results were as follows: Specificity of PCR was excellent, as there was no cross-reaction with any organism other than MRSA. Fifty colony forming units of MRSA were detected, indicating good sensitivity. We examined oral swabs from 13 bed-ridden patients (age range: 65-82 yrs) by PCR and the conventional culture method. The PCR elicited positive results in 6 out of 13 cases. MRSA or coagulase negative Staphylococci (CNS) in Mueller-Hinton agar containing 12.5 micrograms/ml methicillin were obtained from all of these PCR-positive specimens. Two of 7 PCR-negative specimens raised MRSA or CNS colonies, but the number of colonies from these specimens was below the sensitivity threshold of the PCR. The good specificity and sensitivity of the PCR method for the detection of mecA gene obtained in this study suggest the possibility of application of this method for detection of MRSA in clinical specimens.
Higashiyama
Y
Y
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine.
Koga
H
H
Kohno
S
S
Maesaki
S
S
Kaku
M
M
Hara
K
K
D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification