title: Improved methods for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: In order to assess the performance of two detection methods, a set of 93 recent clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, including a large number of strains that demonstrated low-level methicillin-resistance were evaluated using the MRSA-Screen (Denka Seiken, Japan), a commercial latex agglutination test to detect penicillin-binding protein 2' (PBP2'), and a polymerase chain reaction assay using the LightCycler Instrument (Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland). The results show that the latex agglutination test is highly sensitive if performed after induction by cefoxitin. Inconclusive results can be rapidly confirmed on the same day by real-time polymerase chain reaction used to detect mecA and femA genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rohrer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tschierske
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zbinden
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berger-Bächi
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase / Q000235:genetics; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C096686:FemA protein, Bacteria; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase