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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 1999, p. 4192-4193, Vol. 37, No. 12
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Direct mecA Detection from Blood Culture Bottles by Branched-DNA Signal Amplification

X. Zheng,1,dagger C. P. Kolbert,1 P. Varga-Delmore,2 J. Arruda,2 M. Lewis,2 J. Kolberg,3 F. R. Cockerill,1 and D. H. Persing1,*

Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota1; Bayer Diagnostics, East Walpole, Massachusetts2; and Bayer Diagnostics, Emeryville, California3

Received 26 May 1999/Returned for modification 28 June 1999/Accepted 23 August 1999

A branched-DNA (bDNA) signal amplification method was used to detect the mecA gene directly from blood culture broth growing staphylococci. BACTEC blood culture bottles with positive growth indices and containing staphylococcus-like organisms as shown by Gram stain were tested for the presence of the mecA gene. Comparison of test results was done among 225 patients (one blood culture from each patient). Compared with PCR, the sensitivity and specificity of the bDNA method are 100 and 99%, respectively. The bDNA test is carried out in a 96-well format and requires approximately 6 h to perform. Our preliminary results suggest that direct detection of the mecA gene by bDNA signal amplification is (i) sensitive enough to detect mecA directly from blood culture bottles without the requirement for subculture and (ii) as sensitive and specific as the PCR-based method.

* Corresponding author. Present address: Corixa Corporation and Infectious Disease Research Institute, Seattle Life Sciences Center, Suite 200, 1124 Columbia St., Seattle, WA 98104. Phone: (206) 754-5879. Fax: (206) 754-5715. E-mail: Persing{at}corixa.com.

dagger Present address: Department of Microbiology, Diagnostic Laboratory Services, The Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 1999, p. 4192-4193, Vol. 37, No. 12
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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