| Chromogenic medium used for the rapid screening of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
MRSA is an infectious bacterial strain that is resistant to antibiotics such as penicillin and methicillin. According to a summary of data presented in the October 17, 2007 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, MRSA is estimated to have caused more than 94,000 life-threatening infections and approximately 19,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2005, most of them connected with healthcare settings. Several states, including Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, are beginning to mandate screening for MRSA in hospitals.
The MRSASelect test is performed on nasal specimens from patients and healthcare workers to screen for MRSA colonization. Chromogenic media are used to grow bacteria in the laboratory and identify them based on a color reaction. With this media MRSA can be differentiated from other microorganisms.
With high sensitivity and specificity as well as rapid and direct identification, the MRSASelect test can identify MRSA carriers in 24 hours. The MRSASelect test was introduced in Canada in 2005 and today it is the market leader there.
| 
