title: [Methicillin resistance detection in Staphylococcus aureus: comparison between conventional methods and MRSA-Screen latex agglutination technique].
abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant pathogen that has emerged over the last four decades, causing both nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Rapid and accurate detection of methicillin resistance in S. aureus is important for the use of appropriate antimicrobial therapy and for the control of nosocomial spread of MRSA strains. We evaluated the efficiency of conventional methods for detection of methicillin resistance such as the disk diffusion, agar dilution, oxacillin agar screen test, and the latex agglutination test MRSA-Screen latex, in 100 isolates of S. aureus, 79 mecA positive and 21 mecA negative. The MRSA-Screen latex (Denka Seiken, Niigata, Japón), is a latex agglutination method that detects the presence of PLP-2a, product of mecA gene in S. aureus. The PCR of the mecA gene was used as the "gold standard" for the evaluation of the different methods tested. The percentages of sensitivity and specificity were as follows: disk difusión 97 and 100%, agar dilution 97 and 95%, oxacillin agar screen test 100 and 100%, and MRSA-Screen latex, 100 and 100 %. All methods presented high sensitivity and specificity, but MRSA-Screen latex had the advantage of giving a reliable result, equivalent to PCR, in only 15 minutes.
authors.affiliation: Maestría en Microbiología Clínica, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires. rnsoloaga@yahoo.com
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soloaga
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corso
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gagetti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Faccone
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galas
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006602:Hexosyltransferases / Q000032:analysis; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods*; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase / Q000032:analysis; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases / Q000032:analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; C487789:mecA protein, Staphylococcus aureus; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase