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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2005, p. 3797-3799, Vol. 43, No. 8
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.8.3797-3799.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Mannitol Salt Agar-Cefoxitin Combination as a Screening Medium for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

R. W. Smyth* and Gunnar Kahlmeter

Department of Clinical Microbiology, Central Hospital, Växjö, Sweden

Received 2 December 2004/ Returned for modification 11 February 2004/ Accepted 9 April 2004

In disk diffusion tests, cefoxitin is now considered a better indicator than oxacillin for the presence of the mecA gene in Staphylococcus aureus. A logical extension of this work is the incorporation of cefoxitin into media selective for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This paper describes the development and subsequent testing of mannitol salt agar containing 4 mg/liter cefoxitin with a unique collection of well-characterized MRSA strains, including low-level methicillin-resistant strains and an equal number of known mecA-negative S. aureus strains. The agar supported the growth of 96.6% of the mecA-positive strains in the collection and inhibited the growth of 100% of the mecA-negative strains. These results suggest that selective media based on cefoxitin are superior to those based on oxacillin for the detection of MRSA.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Central Hospital, SE 351 85 Växjö, Sweden. Phone: 46 470 58 74 60. Fax: 46 470 58 74 55. E-mail: robert.smyth{at}ltkronoberg.se.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2005, p. 3797-3799, Vol. 43, No. 8
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.8.3797-3799.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Louie, L., Soares, D., Meaney, H., Vearncombe, M., Simor, A. E. (2006). Evaluation of a New Chromogenic Medium, MRSA Select, for Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 4561-4563 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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