Staphylococcus Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Staphylococcus, including details on mrsa, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

Identification of Staphylococcus aureus and determination of methicillin resistance directly from positive blood cultures by isothermal amplification and a disposable detection device.

Goldmeyer J, Li H, McCormac M, Cook S, Stratton C, Lemieux B, Kong H, Tang W, Tang YW

Molecular Infectious Disease Laboratory, Vanderbilt University Hospital, 4605 TVC, Nashville, TN 37232-5310, USA.

A simple, rapid, and user-friendly procedure has been developed to identify Staphylococcus aureus and determine its methicillin resistance directly from gram-positive cocci in cluster-containing blood culture medium. The specimens were diluted and heated prior to amplification of the nuc and mecA genes with isothermal helicase-dependent amplification. Amplicons were detected using a disposable detection device. The analytical sensitivity of the assays was 50 CFU per reaction, and the clinical sensitivity and specificity were both 100% for S. aureus detection and 100% and 98% for methicillin resistance determination, respectively.

Published 4 April 2008 in J Clin Microbiol, 46(4): 1534-6.
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