Effective Date: September 3, 2025
The MRSA Screen PCR [LAB1231076] detects the presence or absence of colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and may be used to guide antimicrobial prophylaxis decisions. To improve and standardize test utilization across all Corewell Health regions, the following restrictions will be added to this test order:
- Ordering will be restricted to one test every 7 days.
- An indication for ordering must be provided for each order. Acceptable indications are:
- Pneumonia
- Skin and soft tissue (use for non-purulent infections)
- Surgical prophylaxis
Studies have shown that there is minimal utility in re-testing within 2 weeks as MRSA conversion rates are low and the PCR negative predictive values remain high for at least 14 days after initial testing.
Absence of nasal colonization with MRSA cannot be used to reliably rule out MRSA infection in scenarios other than those listed above.
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