The First Rapid Blood Test for MRSA is in the Market
In recent years, the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection have been on the rise. This has especially become a problem in hospitals where MRSA infections have become synonymous to healthcare-associated infections.
S. aureus is a very common bacterial species that causes pimples and mild skin and wound infections. However, years of antibiotic use gave rise to strains which are resistant to the antibiotic methicillin as well as to other drugs. The MRSA strains can cause life-threatening conditions such as sepsis, infections of surgical sites, and pneumonia.
The US FDA has recently approved the first quick test to identify MRSA in the blood. Using molecular methods, the BD GeneOhm StaphSR Assay can detect genetic material from the common, less dangerous methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) as well as the drug-resistant deadly MRSA strains [1, 2]
Early detection of MRSA infections is crucial in their treatment and management. Using standard diagnostic laboratory tests, it takes 2 days to identify MRSA in blood samples. With the new rapid test, results are available within 2 hours. This is especially good news to the public health community which had to deal with the rapid rise in the incidence of MRSA infections in hospitals and clinics. Immunocompromised patients are especially susceptible.
The BD GeneOhm StaphSR test is manufactured by BD Diagnostics, a subsidiary of BD of Franklin Lakes, N.J.
[1] FDA News, 2 Jan 2008. FDA Clears First Quick Test For Drug-Resistant Staph Infections.
GRACE: Combating Antimicrobial Resistance
The use of antibiotics “are not justified to reduce the risk of serious complications for upper RTI, sore throat, or otitis media.” This was one of the main conclusions of a retrospective cohort study in the UK as reported recently in BMJ. The study looked into more than 3 million cases of RTI found in the UK General Practice Research Database [1].
There have always been concerns about the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, especially as preemptive measure to reduce complications of upper RTI. The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains indicates that these concerns are justified.
In Europe, a one of a kind consortium is tackling the problem of antimicrobial resistance in community-acquired lower RTI. The Network of Excellence GRACE consists of “17 academic groups with a wide spectrum of expertise, spread widely across the EU Member States.” Among these are two leading European scientific societies, the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and European Respiratory Society. GRACE integrates clinical research with genomics as well as education and training of medical professionals [2].
Abbreviations:
GRACE = Genomics to Combat Resistance against Antibiotics in Community-acquired lower respiratory tract infection in
Europe
RTI = respiratory tract infection
Sources: