Superbug test could cut chain of transmission

Link: Superbug test approved, cuts days off MRSA diagnosis.

This new rapid PCR test could not only save millions in terms of healthcare costs, it should allow physicians to control an outbreak of MRSA by breaking the chain of transmission. It works by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the amplification of MRSA DNA, detecting the amplicon linking the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) carrying methicillin-resistance (mecA) with a sequence unique to S. aureus found in the orfX gene. Unlike most PCR tests, it does not require dedicated equipment and space and can be performed without a dedicated clean area. "This allows for more appropriate isolation procedures and agent-specific antimicrobial therapy, resulting in reduced patient morbidity and mortality as well as an overall reduction in healthcare costs," said Dr Thomas Davis, Director of Clinical Microbiology, Wishard Memorial Hospital, US. The assay works directly with blood cultures and requires less technologist time than traditional microbiology assays, which can take two days to get results. BD has also submitted subsequent nasal swab and wound applications to the FDA. The firm is also developing tests for the detection of two other organisms that cause severe HAIs. These tests will identify the vanA and vanB genes associated with vancomycin-resistant enterococci and the toxin gene associated with Clostridium difficile.