Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: laboratory detection methods in use in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Affiliation
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. hhumphreys@rcsi.ieIssue Date
2002Keywords
INFECTION CONTROLCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES
LABORATORY SERVICE
Local subject classification
METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUSMeSH
Bacterial Typing TechniquesBacteriological Techniques
Culture Media
Humans
Ireland
Methicillin Resistance
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Northern Ireland
Professional Practice
Staphylococcal Infections
Staphylococcus aureus
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Humphreys H et al. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: laboratory detection methods in use in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Br. J. Biomed. Sci. 2002, 59 (1):7-10Journal
British journal of biomedical sciencePubMed ID
12000191Additional Links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12000191Abstract
There is no universally agreed laboratory protocol for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and hence a variety of approaches are used. As part of an all-island survey of MRSA in the Republic of Ireland (the South) and Northern Ireland (the North), a questionnaire was circulated to 14 participating laboratories in the North and 49 in the South, to determine the methods used to isolate MRSA from clinical specimens, identify S. aureus and test for susceptibility to methicillin. Almost two-thirds (64%) of laboratories in the North but only 16% of laboratories in the South use enrichment culture. There is heavy reliance on commercial kits to confirm the identification of S. aureus in the South but all laboratories in the North use the staphylocoagulase test. More than 90% of all laboratories use a disc method for susceptibility testing and 71% of laboratories in the North supplement this with the E-test; however, a range of methicillin disk concentrations are in use. There is a need to review current laboratory methods used to detect MRSA, with follow-up audit on their implementation. Additional resources may be needed in some laboratories to comply with revised guidelines, and reference facilities are required to assess new commercially available techniques and to confirm the identification of unusual or difficult strains.Item Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
0967-4845Collections
Related articles
- MRSA bacteraemia: North/South Study of MRSA in Ireland 1999.
- Authors: Mc Donald P, Mitchell E, Johnson H, Rossney A, Humphreys H, Glynn G, Burd M, Doyle D, Mc Donnell R
- Issue date: 2002 Dec
- Rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) using the KeyPath MRSA/MSSA blood culture test and the BacT/ALERT system in a pediatric population.
- Authors: Sullivan KV, Turner NN, Roundtree SS, McGowan KL
- Issue date: 2013 Aug
- Control and the prevention of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in hospitals in Ireland: North/South Study of MRSA in Ireland 1999.
- Authors: Burd M, Humphreys H, Glynn G, Mitchell E, McDonald P, Johnson H, McDonnell B, Doyle D, Rossney A
- Issue date: 2003 Apr
- Guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis and susceptibility testing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
- Authors: Brown DF, Edwards DI, Hawkey PM, Morrison D, Ridgway GL, Towner KJ, Wren MW, Joint Working Party of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Hospital Infection Society, Infection Control Nurses Association
- Issue date: 2005 Dec
- Comparison of Culture-Based Methods for Identification of Colonization with Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in the Context of Cocolonization.
- Authors: Davis MF, Hu B, Carroll KC, Bilker WB, Tolomeo P, Cluzet VC, Baron P, Ferguson JM, Morris DO, Rankin SC, Lautenbach E, Nachamkin I
- Issue date: 2016 Jul