TABLE 2.
Patterns of MRSA carriagea
| Study pharyngeal culture result | Study nasal culture result | Routine MRSA ASC result | No. of MRSA carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRSA | MRSA | MRSA | 6 |
| MRSA | MSSA | No MRSA | 1 |
| MRSA | No S. aureus | No MRSA | 2 |
| MRSA | MSSA | MRSA | 1 |
| MSSA | MRSA | MRSA | 1 |
| MSSA | No S. aureus | MRSA | 1 |
a
Among MRSA carriers, the nares were the source of all routine MRSA ASC. With isolation of MRSA from either the pharyngeal culture or routine nasal ASC as the gold standard, the sensitivity of pharyngeal cultures for detection of MRSA was 83.3%, while the sensitivity of routine nasal ASC was 75.0%, a difference that was not statistically significant.