Comparison of flocked and rayon swabs for detection of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among pathology staff members.

Comparison of flocked swabs (E-swabs; Copan) to the standard rayon swabs (Copan) was undertaken for detection of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among staff at Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg, Melbourne, Australia. Among 100 volunteers, 36 were found to be colonized with S. aureus by one or both swab results. The prevalence detected by E-swabs was 35%, and the prevalence through rayon swabs was 34% (95% confidence interval [CI] for the difference in proportions, -12 to 14). Thirty-three volunteers tested positive with both types of swabs, while 2 were detected on E-swabs alone and another on rayon swab testing alone. There was no evidence of a significant difference in carriage detected by E-swabs or rayon swabs.