Table 1. Results and suggested interpretations of skin swab samples from patients with AD and healthy controls using the BD Max StaphSR assay.

Results displayed		Targets*				AD	Control
SA	MRSA	MREJ	nuc	mecA/mecC		(N = 213)	(N = 31)
Pos	Pos	D	D or ND	D	MRSA	6	-
Pos	Neg	ND	D	ND	MSSA	27	1
Pos	Neg	ND	D	D	Mixed MSSA & MRnonSA	33	-
Pos	Neg	D	D or ND	ND	SA empty-cassette variant	3	-
Neg	Neg	ND	ND	D	MRnonSA	43	7
Neg	Neg	ND	ND	ND	nonSA & nonMRSA	101	23

^*The positive Ct value ranges for MREJ, nuc, and mecA/mecC were 25.8–38.6, 23.5–38.6, and 24.5–39.4, respectively. The detection rate of SA was significantly higher in patients with AD than that in controls (P=0.0008).

Abbreviations: AD, atopic dermatitis; D, detected; MRnonSA, methicillin-resistant non–Staphylococcus aureus; MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; MSSA, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus; ND, not detected; Neg, negative; nonMRSA, non-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; nonMSSA, non-methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus; Pos, positive; SA, Staphylococcus aureus; SA empty-cassette variant, Staphylococcus aureus carrying a genetic element lacking mecA.