Comparison of polymerase chain reaction and conventional methods in detecting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Background: Accurate and rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is very important in a clinical laboratory setting to avoid treatment failure. Conventional methods were compared against the gold standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to determine the best combinat...

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Main Authors: Riza Adaleti, Yasar Nakipoglu, Zeynep Ceren Karahan, Cihan Tasdemir, Fatma Kaya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2008-02-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/321
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Summary:Background: Accurate and rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is very important in a clinical laboratory setting to avoid treatment failure. Conventional methods were compared against the gold standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to determine the best combination of the routine procedures. Methodology: Methicillin resistance was investigated in 416 clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates by PCR, oxacillin agar screening (OAS), oxacillin disk diffusion (ODD) and cefoxitin disk diffusion (CDD) methods. Results: Two hundred and ten (51%) out of 416 S. aureus strains were found to be mecA-positive by PCR. Sensitivity and specificity of the ODD, CDD and OAS methods were detected as follows: 100% and 89%, 99.50% and 100%, and 99.50% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: Combining the ODD and CDD methods could be a good choice for detecting methicillin resistance in S. aureus strains where mecA PCR cannot be performed.
ISSN:1972-2680