Abstract
This retrospective study aimed to validate the concordance between nasal swab methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and respiratory culture and to determine the number of potentially preventable days of anti-MRSA therapy in patients with pneumonia. Two hundred adult inpatients in the intensive and intermediate care units were included. The nasal swab MRSA PCR test was positive in 55 (27.5%) patients. MRSA was isolated from respiratory culture in 21 (10.5%) patients. The nasal swab MRSA PCR test demonstrated 90.5% sensitivity, 79.9% specificity, 34.5% positive predictive value, and 98.6% negative predictive value. Anti-MRSA therapy was initiated in 168 (84%) patients. Patients in the study received a combined 782days of anti-MRSA therapy; 300days were considered potentially preventable. This study suggests that the nasal swab MRSA PCR test may be used to guide discontinuation of anti-MRSA antibiotics in patients with clinically confirmed pneumonia in the intensive or intermediate care units.
•Nasal swab MRSA PCR and respiratory culture concordance was validated in 200 patients with pneumonia.•The nasal swab MRSA PCR test demonstrated 90.5% sensitivity and 79.9% specificity.•The positive and negative predictive values were 34.5% and 98.6%, respectively.•300/782 combined days of anti-MRSA therapy were considered potentially preventable.•The nasal swab MRSA PCR may guide discontinuation of anti-MRSA therapy in pneumonia.