Direct Identification of MRSA Strains within 18 Hours

BioMérieux launches a new version of chromID™ MRSA chromogenic medium for the detection of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), providing a cost effective solution for rapid routine screening.

This ready-to-use medium for the culture, isolation and identification of MRSA offers direct identification of MRSA strains within 18 hours, and sensitivity is increased by a further 7% when flocked swabs are used for transportation providing a good synergy with the PREVI Isola automated plate streaker.

The characteristic colours of the colonies – pale blue-green at 18 hours incubation and blue¬ green to dark blue at 24 hours incubation – make results easy to read, and the medium has been validated for use with PREVI™ Isola, VITEK®2 and API® platforms. With a maximum read time of 24 hours, compared to 48 hours for the previous version, the new version chromID agar has the potential to increase throughput significantly.

Daniel White, product manager, bioMérieux, said: “Compared to traditional culture media, chromogenic media offer the laboratory an easier method of identifying bacteria through colour differentiation. The intensity and specificity of the colours produced make rapid, easy identification of bacterial colonies possible; this new chromID MRSA chromogenic medium will be a great advantage to our customers releasing time and space within the laboratory while at the same time allowing earlier reporting of negatives to facilitate faster clinical decisions.”