Evaluation of the AMR Direct Flow Chip Kit DNA microarray for detecting antimicrobial resistance genes directly from rectal and nasopharyngeal clinical samples upon ICU admission

Introduction: Prompt detection of antibiotic resistance genes in healthcare institutions is of utmost importance in tackling the spread of multi-drug resistant micro-organisms. We evaluated the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Direct Flow Chip Kit versus phenotypic screening assays for rectal and nasopharyngeal specimens upon ICU admission. Methods: A total of 184 dual specimens (92 rectal and 92 nasopharyngeal swabs) from 92 patients were collected from 11/2017 to 8/2018. All swabs were subjected to both AMR and phenotypic tests according to their origin. The degree of agreement of the two methods was assessed by the kappa coefficient. Results: The kappa coefficient showed perfect agreement for MRSA, ESBLs, oxacillinases and vancomycin resistance genes (1.000, p < 0.01) and very good agreement for mecA-positive CoNS, KPC-carbapenemases and metallo-beta-lactamases (0.870, p < 0.01; 0.864, p < 0.01; and 0.912, p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: The AMR Direct Flow Chip Kit is a useful alternative to phenotypic testing for rapid detection of resistance markers. (C) 2020 Elsevier Espa na, S.L.U. and Sociedad Espanola de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologia Clinica. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study compared the performance of AMR Direct Flow Chip Kit and phenotypic screening assays in dual specimens upon ICU admission, demonstrating that the AMR Direct Flow Chip Kit is a useful alternative for rapid detection of resistance markers.