Evaluation of the Xpert™ MRSA/SA Blood Culture assay for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus including strains with reduced vancomycin susceptibility from blood culture specimens

The Xpert MRSA/SA Blood Culture (BC) assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) was prospectively compared to culture and found to have excellent specificity for both Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in BC specimens with a sensitivity of 75% (3/4) and 100% (17/17), respectively. Among 28 heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (hVISA)/VISA spiked BCs, the assay correctly identified 84.6% VISA and 80% hVISA isolates as MRSA.