OXACILLIN RESISTANCE SCREENING AGAR BASE

Description

Oxacillin Resistance Screening Agar (originally named MRSA Screen Agar) was originally developed for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These strains are resistant to penicillinase-resistant penicillins (PRPs), such as methicillin, oxacillin and nafcillin. Since the method to detect MRSA uses the same inoculum as the Bauer-Kirby antimicrobial disc susceptibility test procedure, the oxacillin screen test may be conveniently performed on isolates at the same time as routine susceptibility testing. The coagulase positive species of Staphylococcus aureus is well documented as a human opportunistic pathogen. As a nosocomial pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Resistance to penicillin in S. aureus was observed soon after the introduction of penicillin in the late 1940s. By the late 1960s, methicillin/oxacillin resistant strains of S. aureus began to emerge and has been isolated in the United States. Oxacillin (methicillin) resistant S. aureus emerged in 1980s as a major clinical and epidemiological problem in hospitals.