| Ordering Code | 618 |
|---|---|
| Test Name | MRSA Culture Screen |
| Alias | Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus Culture Screen Staph Surveillance Culture |
| Preferred Specimen | Swab of Nares, Rectum or other sites |
| Preferred Container | Eswab, Culturette with bacteriostatic media (e.g. CultureSwab Plus) |
| Other Specimen/Container | Respiratory or fluids in sterile container (kept moist) |
| Optimum Volume | Swab: 2 Swabs Respiratory and Fluid Specimens: 5 mL |
| Collection Instructions | Expectorated sputums should be first morning specimen Collect body fluids aseptically. |
| Transport Requirements | Swab - Oahu: Ambient, Airline: Ambient Respiratory and Fluid Specimens - Oahu: Refrigerated, Airline: Refrigerated |
| Specimen Stability | Swab: Ambient: 2 Days, Refrigerated: 2 Days Respiratory and Fluid Specimens: Ambient: 2 Hours, Refrigerated: 24 Hours |
| Rejection Criteria | Dry cotton swab, Frozen, Specimen older than stability limits |
| Avail. Stat | NO |
| Analytic Time | Swab: Up to 3 Days Preliminary results at 24 hours Respiratory and Fluid Specimens: Up to 3 Days. |
| Methodology | Visual examination of bacterial growth on selective media with identification of Staph aureus isolates for methicillin resistance. |
Reference range(s)
The reference ranges listed below are valid on this date of June 26, 2025.
| Component | Age | Male Norm | Male Critical Low | Male Critical High | Female Norm | Female Critical High | Female Critical Low | Units | Add'l info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: | ALL | See report. | |||||||
| Report Status: | ALL | See report. | |||||||
| Culture | ALL | See report. |