Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation of the IDI-MRSA assay on the SmartCycler real-time PCR platform for rapid detection of MRSA from screening specimens

  • Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rapid accurate detection is a prerequisite for the successful control of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The IDI-MRSA real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was designed to provide rapid results from nasal specimens collected in Stuart’s liquid transport medium. This study has evaluated the IDI-MRSA kit for use in a clinical laboratory by investigating the following parameters: (1) limits of detection (LoD), (2) performance with Amies’ gel-based transport medium, (3) ability to detect strains of MRSA in a collection representative of MRSA in Ireland since 1974 (n=113) and (4) performance in a clinical trial with swabs from nose, throat and groin/perineum sites from 202 patients. LoDs (colony-forming units per ml) of the IDI-MRSA kit, direct culture on MRSA-Select chromogenic agar (CA) and salt-enrichment culture (with subculture onto CA) were 103, 103 and 102, respectively. LoDs with Stuart’s and Amies’ transport media were comparable. All except one of the 113 MRSA isolates were detected by the kit but, when six control strains carrying staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV element subtypes IVa–d and SCCmec types V and VT were tested, the kit failed to detect MRSA carrying SCCmec V. The sensitivity and specificity for detection of MRSA from nose, throat and groin/perineum specimens were comparable with slightly lower sensitivities from throat and groin/perineum specimens compared with nasal swabs (90%, 97%; 89%, 99%; 88%, 99%, respectively). Overall sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values for specimens from all sites were 88%, 99%, 94% and 97%, respectively. Further developments to improve the sensitivity of this highly worthwhile assay are required.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Brown DF, Edwards DI, Hawkey PM, Morrison D, Ridgway GL, Towner KJ, Wren MW (2005) Guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis and susceptibility testing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). J Antimicrob Chemother 56:1000–1018

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Huletsky A, Giroux R, Rossbach V, Gagnon M, Vaillancourt M, Bernier M, Gagnon F, Truchon K, Bastien M, Picard FJ, Belkum A van, Ouellette M, Roy PH, Bergeron MG (2004) New real-time PCR assay for rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus directly from specimens containing a mixture of staphylococci. J Clin Microbiol 42:1875–1884

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Anon (2006) IDI-MRSA Assay Package Insert. http://www.geneohm.com/english/idi_mrsa.htm. Cited 14 February 2007

  4. Anon (1998) Revised guidelines for the control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in hospitals. British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Hospital Infection Society and the Infection Control Nurses’ Association. J Hospital Infect 39:253–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Rossney AS, Lawrence MJ, Morgan PM, Fitzgibbon MM, Shore A, Coleman DC, Keane CT, O’Connell B (2006) Epidemiological typing of MRSA isolates from blood cultures taken in Irish hospitals participating in the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (1999–2003). Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 25:79–89

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Shore A, Rossney AS, Keane CT, Enright MC, Coleman DC (2005) Seven novel variants of the staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Ireland. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 49:2070–2083

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hewitt JH, Coe AW, Parker MT (1969) The detection of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. J Med Microbiol 2:443–456

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (2006) Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing; Sixteenth Informational Supplement. CLSI Document M100-S16. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1400, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087-1898, USA

  9. Boyle-Vavra S, Ereshefsky B, Wang CC, Daum RS (2005) Successful multiresistant community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineage from Taipei, Taiwan, that carries either the novel staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) type VT or SCCmec type IV. J Clin Microbiol 43:4719–4730

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Chongtrakool P, Ito T, Ma XX, Kondo Y, Trakulsomboon S, Tiensasitorn C, Jamklang M, Chavalit T, Song JH, Hiramatsu K (2006) Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated in 11 Asian countries: a proposal for a new nomenclature for SCCmec elements. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 50:1001–1012

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Oliveira DC, Lencastre H de (2002) Multiplex PCR strategy for rapid identification of structural types and variants of the mec element in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 46:2155–2161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Cockerill FR 3rd, Smith TF (2004) Response of the clinical microbiology laboratory to emerging (new) and reemerging infectious diseases. J Clin Microbiol 42:2359–2365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Nsira SB, Dupuis M, Leclercq R (2006) Evaluation of MRSA Select, a new chromogenic medium for the detection of nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Int J Antimicrob Agents 27:561–564

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Stoakes L, Reyes R, Daniel J, Lennox G, John MA, Lannigan R, Hussain Z (2006) Prospective comparison of a new chromogenic medium, MRSASelect, to CHROMagar MRSA and mannitol-salt medium supplemented with oxacillin or cefoxitin for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J Clin Microbiol 44:637–639

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Warren DK, Liao RS, Merz LR, Eveland M, Dunne WM Jr (2004) Detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus directly from nasal swab specimens by a real-time PCR assay. J Clin Microbiol 42:5578–5581

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Huletsky A, Lebel P, Picard FJ, Bernier M, Gagnon M, Boucher N, Bergeron MG (2005) Identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage in less than 1 hour during a hospital surveillance program. Clin Infect Dis 40:976–981

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Bishop EJ, Grabsch EA, Ballard SA, Mayall B, Xie S, Martin R, Grayson ML (2006) Concurrent analysis of nose and groin swab specimens by the IDI-MRSA PCR assay is comparable to analysis by individual-specimen PCR and routine culture assays for detection of colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J Clin Microbiol 44:2904–2908

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Van Nguyen JC, Kitzis MD, Ly A, Chalfine A, Carlet J, Ben Ali A, Goldstein F (2006) Detection of nasal colonization methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a prospective study comparing real-time genic amplification assay vs selective chromogenic media. Pathol Biol (Paris) 54:285–292

    Google Scholar 

  19. Desjardins M, Guibord C, Lalonde B, Toye B, Ramotar K (2006) Evaluation of the IDI-MRSA assay for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from nasal and rectal specimens pooled in a selective broth. J Clin Microbiol 44:1219–1223

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Oliveira DC, Tomasz A, Lencastre H de (2002) Secrets of success of a human pathogen: molecular evolution of pandemic clones of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Lancet Infect Dis 2:180–189

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Teruyo Ito (Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan) and Robert Daum (University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill., USA) for the gift of SCCmec IV and SCCmec V control strains. We are grateful to BioFact (Ireland) for providing the SmartCycler platform and for supplying IDI-MRSA kits at an evaluation rate. The experiments reported in this article comply with current laws in Ireland.

Author information

Author notes

  1. C. M. Herra

    Present address: School of Biological Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin Street, Dublin 8, Ireland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National MRSA Reference Laboratory, St. James’s Hospital, James’s Street, Dublin 8, Ireland

    A. S. Rossney, M. M. Fitzgibbon, P. M. Morgan & B. O’Connell

  2. Department of Microbiology St. James’s Hospital and Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Dublin, Trinity College, James’s Street, Dublin 8, Ireland

    C. M. Herra

  3. Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Dublin Trinity College St. James’s Hospital, James’s Street, Dublin 8, Ireland

    A. S. Rossney, M. M. Fitzgibbon & B. O’Connell

  4. Department of Microbiology, St. James’s Hospital, James’s Street, Dublin 8, Ireland

    M. J. Lawrence & B. O’Connell

Authors
  1. A. S. Rossney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. M. Herra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. M. Fitzgibbon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P. M. Morgan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. J. Lawrence
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. B. O’Connell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. S. Rossney.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rossney, A.S., Herra, C.M., Fitzgibbon, M.M. et al. Evaluation of the IDI-MRSA assay on the SmartCycler real-time PCR platform for rapid detection of MRSA from screening specimens. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 26, 459–466 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-007-0303-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-007-0303-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation