Patent ID: 8017337

Claim:
A method of detecting methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in a sample, wherein said sample contains one or a mixture of bacterial species, said method comprising: (a) providing a first set of primers, wherein said first set of primers are complementary to at least a portion of a mecA polynucleotide sequence; (b) providing a second set of primers, wherein said second set of primers are complementary to at least a portion of a bridging region; (c) providing a third set of primers, wherein said third set of primers are complementary to at least a portion of an S. aureus -specific polynucleotide sequence, and wherein said S. aureus -specific polynucleotide sequence is not an orfX polynucleotide; (d) combining said first, second and third set of primers with said sample in a reaction mixture; (e) performing a multi-cycle amplification reaction with said reaction mixture; (f) determining cycle numbers of appearance of each of said mecA, bridging region and S. aureus -specific polynucleotide sequences, (g) comparing said cycle numbers of appearance of said mecA, bridging region, and S. aureus -specific polynucleotide sequences to each other, wherein if said mecA polynucleotide sequence has a cycle number of appearance that is substantially the same as that of either said bridging region sequence or said S. aureus -specific polynucleotide sequence, then MRSA is present in said sample.