JCM Figure table search 04
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Merlino, J.
Right arrow Articles by Harbour, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Merlino, J.
Right arrow Articles by Harbour, C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2000, p. 2378-2380, Vol. 38, No. 6
0095-1137/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

New Chromogenic Identification and Detection of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus

John Merlino,1,2,3,* Marcel Leroi,1 Ross Bradbury,1 Duncan Veal,2 and Colin Harbour3

Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord 2139,1 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Concord 2109,2 and Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, 2006 Sydney,3 New South Wales, Australia

Received 13 September 1999/Returned for modification 13 November 1999/Accepted 15 February 2000

This paper describes a new chromogenic plate medium, CHROMagar Staph aureus (CHROMagar, Paris, France), for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus on the basis of colony pigmentation. The abilities of CHROMagar Staph aureus, thermostable nuclease (DNase), and mannitol salt agar (MSA) to identify S. aureus isolates (n = 114) and discriminate between S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS; n = 22) were compared. CHROMagar Staph aureus proved to be more sensitive and specific than DNase and MSA, allowing a reliable, simple, and rapid method for the identification of S. aureus isolates. All CoNS encountered in this study with the exception of S. chromogenes could be easily differentiated from S. aureus on this medium. The supplementation with 4 µg of oxacillin or methicillin per ml allowed simple identification of methicillin resistance in hospital-acquired S. aureus strains which show multiple-drug resistance profiles. Community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains showing non-multi-drug resistance profiles require further evaluation on this new chromogenic medium. Methicillin or oxacillin resistance of all S. aureus isolates was confirmed by the detection of penicillin-binding protein 2a, encoded by the mecA gene, using the latex slide agglutination MRSA-Screen test (PBP 2' Test, DR900M; Oxoid).

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Hospital Rd., Concord 2139, New South Wales, Australia. Phone: (612) 9767 6658. Fax: (612) 9767 7868. E-mail: john{at}micr.crg.cs.nsw.gov.au.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2000, p. 2378-2380, Vol. 38, No. 6
0095-1137/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:



Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. Clin. Microbiol. Rev.
Clin. Vaccine Immunol. ALL ASM JOURNALS

Copyright © 2000 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.