How to Collect a MRSA Nares Culture

MRSA is a "staph" infection, caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. MRSA infections often occur in medical care facilities, usually affecting older adults and patients with weakened immune systems. MRSA is diagnosed using a sample taken from the suspected infection site, such as the nostrils, or nares.

Things You'll Need

• Culture swab
• Transport tube
• Non-bacteriostatic sterile saline
• Label
• Writing utensil
• Laboratory specimen transport container

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Instructions

• 1

  Open the swab collection tube. There should be one to two swabs inside a sterile container with a cap. Most swabs come in a pair attached to a cap at the base.

• 2

  Remove one of the collection swabs for patients under 12 years of age and throw it away.

• 3

  Apply two drops of non-bacteriostatic sterile saline to the swab tip. This will allow the swab to pick up existing cultures to be analyzed.

• 4

  Insert the swab tip into each nostril. Rotate it against the tissue of the nose for about three seconds. It may be necessary to push on the nose from the outside with your finger to make sure the swab comes in contact with the nasal lining. Insert each swab into each nostril to ensure a good sample is collected.

• 5

  Place the swab back into the transport tube and replace the cap. Avoid touching anything with the swab as this can contaminate the sample.

• 6

  Label the transport tube with the patient's information. Many laboratories require at least two forms of patient information. This can include name, date of birth, or social security number. Contact the laboratory you are using to confirm their specifications. The laboratory may also want the label to specify the reason for culture. This can usually be indicated with the initials "ROMRS." This stands for "rule out MRSA."

• 7

  Transport the sample to the laboratory. The sample should be placed in a plastic transport bag that the laboratory will recognize.