MRSA – Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus – Confirmation

Consistent with O. Reg. 671/92 of the French Language Services Act, laboratory testing information on this page is only available in English because it is scientific or technical in nature and is for use only by qualified health care providers and not by members of the public.

*Uncontrolled print copy. Valid only on day of print: 01 May 2024.

Specimen Collection and Handling

Specimen Requirements

Test Requested	Required Requisition(s)	Specimen Type	Minimum Volume	Collection Kit
MRSA – Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus confirmation	Reference Bacteriology Requisition	Pure viable subculture of the organism on appropriate media (eg Blood Agar) or a swab of a pure subculture in Amies transport medium^2,3	N/A

Submission and Collection Notes

Complete all fields on the Reference Bacteriology Requisition, including:

test Requested
specimen source
culture information
presumptive identification
clinical/epidemiology information

If a swab is received the TAT will be delayed by at least 24 hours.

Primary cultures are unacceptable; they should be processed in the originating lab and will be rejected

Limitations

Mixed or non-viable cultures will not be tested. The submitter will be contacted by telephone. A written report will be issued to indicate that the test has been rejected.

Mis-labelled or un-labelled specimens will not be tested. A report will be sent stating “Specimen received un-labelled” or “Requisition identification does not match the specimen identification information. Please resubmit.

Storage and Transport

Label the specimen with the patient’s full name, date of collection and one other unique identifier such as the patient’s date of birth or Health Card Number.Failure to provide this information may result in rejection or testing delay.

Place specimen in biohazard bag and seal. Specimen should be transferred to the laboratory within 48 hours of collection.

Special Instructions

Transport a fresh subculture to ensure viability on receipt.

Requisitions and Kit Ordering

Test Frequency and Turnaround Time (TAT)

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus cultures are tested Monday - Friday.

Turnaround time is 3-5 days.

Test Methods

All aerobic bacterial isolates are identified/confirmed by the following methods:

gram stain
catalase
MALDI-TOF
phenotypic and/or molecular methods

Reporting

Results are reported to the ordering physician or health care provider as indicated on the requisition.

References

LAB-SD-125, Reference Bacteriology and Antimicrobial Susceptibility: New Requisition and Testing Algorithm for Improved Test Utilization