Assessment of oxacillin salt agar for detection of MRSA identified by presence of the mecA gene.

To assess the screening method for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus recommended by Thornsberry and McDougal J. Clin Microbiol 1983; 18: 1084-1901, the growth of S. aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains on Mueller Hinton agar containing 4% NaCl and 6 mg l-1 oxacillin, after 24 h incubation at 35 degrees C, was investigated. The strains used for this study were characterized for possession of the mecA gene by the polymerase chain reaction. All 39 strains of S. aureus with the mecA gene grew on this agar, and all 12 strains of S. aureus without the mecA gene did not grow. On the other hand, three of 12 strains of S. epidermidis did not grow on this agar, although all these strains possessed the mecA gene. These results suggest that Thornsberry and McDougal's screening method is suitable for detecting S. aureus strains with mecA gene. Introduction of this method, to detect methicillin-resistant S. aureus more precisely, is simple and cheap for any laboratory in any part of the world.