Methods for identifying methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

Five methods for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were used to examine a collection of 100 clinical isolates comprising both susceptible and resistant strains. The disc diffusion test with oxacillin had a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 92.0% whereas mannitol salt agar containing oxacillin had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity 80.6% with high inoculum. With a low inoculum the sensitivity was 90.7% and specificity 96.0%. The MRSA screen test (Denka Seiken Co. Ltd., Japan) and Evigene MRSA Detection Kit (State Serum Institute, Denmark) tests were in complete agreement with results obtained with polymerase chain reaction assays amplifying mecA and nuc gene sequences. (C) 2001 The Hospital Infection Society.