Development of a simple, low-density array to detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and mecA dropouts in nasal swabs

► A simple microarray is described for detecting MRSA and mecA dropouts. ► The test detects significant genetic diversity of mecA dropouts. ► Analytical limits of detection are < 250 fg genomic DNA per test. ► Estimated clinical specificity and sensitivity were 80.5% and 96.6%, respectively. ► mecA + CoNS in nasal swabs will affect other MRSA molecular diagnostic tests.