Microbiology

Name

Alternative name/Profile

Department

Investigation

Specimen type

Sample type

Sample container & volume

Frequency of analysis

Turnaround time

Availability

Notes

Screening for MRSA includes:

• Those patients previously positive.
• Patients admitted to a hospital or healthcare facility known or suspected to have MRSA.
• Patients during an outbreak.
• ITU and other high-risk areas.

Admission Screening: may be conducted in high and moderate risk areas on patients known to be previously infected or colonised with MRSA, frequent admissions, and on patients transferred from MRSA-affected hospitals or nursing homes, or from hospitals abroad.

Discharge Screening: there is no indication for routine discharge screening.

Screening of staff:  this is not routinely recommended.  Conduct a pre-employment screen of nose and skin lesions.  This is recommended for temporary staff, if time permits and if they have looked after MRSA positive patients.

Screening of MRSA carriers:  three negative swabs from previously positive sites, preferably at weekly intervals, are required for clearance, but this may be reduced by the Infection Control Team.

Send sample to the laboratory without delay.  Sample should be refrigerated if not transported immediately

Related links

Irish Guidelines for the control of MRSA in nursing/elderly care homes and in hospitals recommend a risk assessment approach and advise Infection Control Committees to adapt them locally when designing infection control policies.

Molecular techniques for the detection of mecA are viewed as the “gold standard” for determining resistance. Direct identification of MRSA on screening swabs by a molecular method that links identification of MRSA with the presence of mecA have been described and may be commercially available in the near future.

http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/reprint/45/8/2486  

Reference range

Last updated

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 08:43:59 GMT