Researchers at Wayne State University (WSU) are investigating a rapid testing procedure for detecting Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, more popularly known as MRSA.
The 3M BacLite Rapid MRSA Test is a five-hour qualitative assay compared to the traditional culture methods which can take several days before results are available. “This delay can facilitate the spread of the organism,” said Michael Rybak, PharmD, MPH, professor and associate dean of research, WSU Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
The 3M BacLite Rapid MRSA Test is currently undergoing performance testing for anticipation of FDA clearance in the United States. The test has been marketed in the United Kingdom since February 2006 and throughout Europe since April 2007.
Rybak is leading the team conducting the study, which is part of a multicenter investigation to evaluate the 3M BacLite Rapid MRSA Test. Co-investigators are Donald P. Levine, MD, professor of Medicine/Infectious Diseases, chief of General Internal Medicine, WSU School of Medicine, and Robert Welch, MD, MS, associate professor, Emergency Medicine, Detroit
Receiving Hospital, WSU School of Medicine. The WSU research team received funding from 3M, a worldwide leader in developing health care products and services that address infection control.
“During the past 50 years, treatment with penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics has lead to the development of MRSA,” said Rybak. The disease is a leading cause of serious infections, which can be life-threatening. Surveillance data indicates that 25-30 percent of the population carry Staphylococcus aureus in their nasal passages.
The study collects patient samples and verifies the accuracy of the rapid MRSA testing system against the more traditional culture-screening methods, which can take a minimum of 48 hours for results. It is being conducted at the Detroit Medical Center during the next few months.
“The 3M BacLite Rapid MRSA Test offers a short evaluation time which can help clinicians quickly identify MRSA colonized patients so they can proactively manage carriers,” said Rybak. “The improved speed of these results will mean that physicians can act more quickly to identify at risk patients and take action to control the spread of infection.”
The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, a founding college of Wayne State University, is committed to advancing the health and well-being of society through the preparation of highly skilled health care practitioners, and through research to improve health care practices and treatment from the urban to global levels.
Wayne State University is a world class institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.