Assessing the performance of the Cepheid Xpert in identifying and differentiating methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from blood culture bottles.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Time to effective antibiotics is key to reducing mortality. Current practices yield preliminary susceptibilities approximately 16-18 h after blood culture positivity. Molecular diagnostics could reduce the time from blood culture positivity to organism identification as MRSA or MSSA. The objective was to assess the performance of the GeneXpert in identifying MRSA/MSSA from blood culture bottles in the BACT/ALERT VIRTUO system. Eighty-eight blood culture bottles with Gram-positive cocci resembling staphylococci were analysed at Pathology Queensland using the Cepheid Xpert MRSA/SA BC system. The identification and susceptibilities from standard operating procedures were compared with the results from the Xpert MRSA/SA Blood Culture assay and routine laboratory practice. The overall positive percent agreement between the GeneXpert and standard laboratory practice was 94.1% (95% CI 85.6-98.37%) and the negative percent agreement was 100% (95% CI 83.16-100%). The Cepheid Xpert accurately identifies MRSA, MSSA and coagulase-negative staphylococci. The discordant results were from rarely occurring clinical isolates and were expected limitations of the assay. This kit has the potential to reduce the time to effective antibiotics and minimise the use of unnecessary antibiotics and associated costs.