An Evaluation of egene HDA-GT12 Genetic Analyser for Automated Epidemiologically Typing of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Auerus

C L McMurray, HPA

E. A. Donovan, K.J.Hardy and P.M.Hawkey.

Rapid identification and treatment of patients colonised with MRSA is essential in the control of the transmission of MRSA in a healthcare setting. Conventional methods of identifying MRSA can take up to 72 hr, and previous molecular methods have been unable to directly identify MRSA from non-sterile specimens, such as those found on nasal swabs, and so have required time for isolation, capture and enrichment.

The IDI-MRSA assay, which will, in the near future, be introduced for admission screening in the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, allows the detection of MRSA directly from clinical specimens containing a mixture of Staphylococci in less than 1 hr. The assay amplifies both sequence from the S. aureus chromosome and from the genetic element SCCmec, and is estimated to have a sensitivity and specificity of 96%, when used to screen patients at extranasal sites.

The project being undertaken involves examining MSSAs that have been detected and MRSAs that have not been detected, by the IDI-MRSA assay. This should lead to an explanation for the erroneous results, and improvements in the assay€™s specificity.