Evaluation of the Copan ESwab transport system for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a laboratory and clinical study

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as an important pathogen. Successful detection starts with the selection of an appropriate specimen collection device. The Copan ESwab, a new swab, was compared with a commonly used Copan Venturi swab for the recovery of MRSA. In vitro assessment was performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M40-A protocol. For the clinical evaluation, 24 patients with known MRSA carriage were included. The ESwab fulfilled the CLSI acceptance criteria for MRSA viability. In the clinical study, both swabs performed equally in qualitative terms of positive and negative. However, the in vitro and in vivo evaluation revealed at least 3.6-fold higher recovery of viable MRSA with the ESwab as compared with the Venturi swab. In conclusion, the ESwab may contribute to improve the quality of a MRSA screening protocol.