Copan Dual Swab (#26200) is available from Hospital Stores. With patient's head tilted back, insert both dry swabs (leave attached to red cap) approximately 1-2 cm into one nostril. Rotate the swabs against the inside of the nostril for 3 seconds. Apply slight pressure with a finger on the outside of the nose to ensure good contact between the swabs and inside of the nose. Using the same swabs, repeat for the other nostril. Place the swabs into the transport tube (swabs should stay attached to the red cap). Make sure the red cap is tightly on the transport tube. Transport: Room temperature up to 24 hours, otherwise refrigerate (2-8 degrees C) up to 5 days.

Used to detect colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) only. A positive result does not necessarily indicate viable organism. The primers and probes in the Xpert MRSA assay detect a proprietary sequence for the presence of a cassette inserted into the S. aureus chromosome. Mutations or polymorphisms in primer or probe binding regions may affect detection of new or unknown MRSA variants resulting in a false negative result. Limit of detection observed among the SCCmec cassette types ranged from 10-100 CFU/swab [types I, II, III, V (10 CFU/swab), type IV (50 CFU/swab), subtype IVa (100 CFU/swab)]. Reliable results are dependent on proper specimen collection, handling, and storage.