Improved Diagnostic MRSA Screening Kit Enhances Sensitivity, Simplifies Processing

Sensitivity of an already high sensitivity, high specificity PCR assay for MRSA screening and diagnosis is further strengthened by inclusion of additional MRSA strains. The new kit also shortens sample preparation and minimizes required hands-on time.

The Detect-Ready MRSA Panel is a qualitative real-time PCR in vitro diagnostic test. It is CE-marked for the detection of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and MSSA (methicillin-sensitive S. aureus), and it is the only marketed PCR-based MRSA screening test with the proven ability to discriminate accurately between these pathogens and other related bacteria.

In the new Detect-Ready MRSA Panel, performance has been further enhanced by covering additional MRSA strains known to be missed by at least one other market-leading assay to the set of known common MRSA strains that were already included.

A comparative study examining the accuracy of the Detect-Ready MRSA panel was conducted at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. The researchers compared the performance of Detect-Ready and the GeneOhm MRSA PCR tests and concluded that the Detect-Ready assay is superior to the GeneOhm panel in terms of specificity, while still providing a more rapid screening service compared to traditional microbiology culture methods.

Developed by Molecular Detection Inc. (MDI; Wayne, PA, USA), this new version of the kit was launched at the 2012, 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID; London, UK). “We are delighted to offer this improved version of the Detect-Ready MRSA Panel to our growing customer base,” commented David Wilson, MDI’s Vice President for Commercial Operations, Europe. “The inclusion of additional covered MRSA strains reinforces the superior performance of our existing test, which was recently reconfirmed in an independent comparative study with a market leading competitor. In addition, the simplicity and ease-of-use of Detect-Ready MRSA is further enhanced with our new streamlined protocol for sample prep.”

The Detect-Ready MRSA Panel is currently available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and is in late-stage development in the US.

Related Links:
Molecular Detection Inc.
ECCMID 2012