Helping drive success of pioneering MRSA test

摘要

Research indicates that hospital-acquired infections such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aweus (MRSA) affect around 100,000 people, causing approximately 5,000 deaths and costing the NHS an estimated ￡1 billion annually in the U.K. MRSA itself contributes towards nearly 1,000 deaths each year in the the UK and an estimated five million MRSA tests are carried out in this country alone. Screening hospital patients and staff for MRSA is one way of reducing the spread of the bacteria. However,these screens are based on culturing the specimen in Petri dishes and can take up to four days to deliver a result. It has long been recognised that a more rapid method of testing would reduce the spread of infection, cut hospital costs and save patients' lives.