Comparison of ESwab with traditional swabs for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using two different walk-away commercial real-time PCR methods.
The ESwab system (Copan Diagnostics) was evaluated as a nasopharyngeal specimen collection device to be used for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) detection by the GeneXpert and BD Max MRSA assays. Different MRSA strains and dilutions of each strain were tested in triplicate. ESwabs proved to be a suitable collection system for the two assays tested.
Esoteric Testing Laboratory, Pathology Department, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida, USA ssilbert@tgh.org.
Suzane
S
Silbert
Esoteric Testing Laboratory, Pathology Department, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Carly
C
Kubasek
Esoteric Testing Laboratory, Pathology Department, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Dominic
D
Uy
Esoteric Testing Laboratory, Pathology Department, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Raymond
R
Widen
D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*