Evaluation of a new chromogenic medium, MRSA Select, for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

We compared MRSA Select to mannitol-salt agar with 8 mu g/ml cefoxitin for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from 6,199 clinical samples submitted for MRSA screening. The sensitivities and specificities of MRSA Select and mannitol-salt agar with cefoxitin were 98% and 92% versus 90% and 78%, respectively (P < 0.0001). Most (96%) MRSA were detected after overnight incubation using MRSA Select.