Improved sample collection for MRSA screening programmes

Screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients admitted to hospital is an important measure in the prevention and control of this hospital-acquired infection. For screening methods to be effective, it is extremely important for adequate sample to be collected, and then for it to be released efficiently from the sample collection device prior to testing or further processing. This article describes an innovative new swab design that greatly enhances the collection of microbial samples, now available in a specialised three-swab kit, specifically for MRSA screening.

Innovative swab design
Good sample collection is critical to the successful isolation of any infectious agent from a patient. All downstream processing, testing and subsequent patient diagnosis is reliant on the efficiency of the sampling device.

Swabs are among the most commonly used primary sample collection devices in the clinical setting. A sample collection swab must meet two basic criteria: first, it must be able to collect the sample from the patient efficiently; and second, in the case of possible infection or colonisation, it must be able to maintain the viability of any microorganisms present until the sample can be processed. Copan swabs and transport media, available from Sterilin, are designed to maximise the performance of sample collection.