New Tech to Detect MRSA Faster

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved marketing of a new technology to detect serious bacteria.

The cobas vivoDx MRSA diagnostic test can detect colonization of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This new test allows doctors to evaluate patients for MRSA bacteria much faster than traditional methods, according to the FDA.

“Diagnostics that are able to provide accurate results more quickly can offer health care providers an advantage when trying to prevent and contain the spread of resistant bacteria,” said Dr. Tim Stenzel, director of the FDA's Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health, in a press release. “Today’s authorization adds a new tool in the fight to prevent and control MRSA in high-risk settings."

MRSA, a type of bacteria, is serious and can even lead to death if an infection develops. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 5 percent of patients admitted to US hospitals are carriers of MRSA. Not all people who are MRSA carriers develop infections.

MRSA is serious because it is resistant to many antibiotics. As a result, if an infection develops, it is very difficult to manage and treat.

This new test can detect MRSA from swabs (samples) taken from the nose. The results are available within five hours. This is much quicker than results from the older method (culture-based), which takes 24 to 48 hours.

Roche Molecular Systems Inc. was granted marketing authorization for this new test.

Speak with your health care provider if you have any questions.

Written by Anyssa Garza, PharmD, BCMAS