Evaluation of a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay using analyte-specific reagents for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage.

Objective: To validate a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that is capable of accommodating 30 patient samples in a single batch without compromising the level of sensitivity and specificity associated with PCR testing.

Study Design: A real-time PCR analyte-specific reagent (ASR) assay was compared to conventional culture methods using dual swab samples collected from the nares of 151 patients.

Results: Of the 151 specimens, 49 (32%) were positive for MRSA by PCR, whereas 40 (26%) were positive by culture methods.