All tests › Infection and immunity tests

MRSA screen

Infection and immunity tests · also printed as MRSA, MRSA swab, MRSA screening, MRSA nasal swab, MRSA culture

Typical UK adult rangeExpected result: Negative

Negative is the expected result.

What this test measures

The MRSA screen swabs the nose and skin for a resistant strain of a common skin bacterium. Carrying it is not an infection, but hospitals check before operations.

Why doctors request it

Routine before planned surgery and on some hospital admissions.

What commonly pushes it up

Carrying MRSA on the skin or in the nose, which around one person in thirty does

What commonly pushes it down

A negative result is the usual finding

Everyday reasons for a value outside the range

Results can be equivocal and are then repeated
Recent vaccination or infection elsewhere can occasionally give a weak positive

About the sample

No fasting needed.

Written by a UK consultant physician. Typical UK adult reference ranges; your laboratory's own printed range takes precedence.

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This is an educational summary of results you uploaded. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and it does not replace the doctor who requested the test. If you are worried, or a result is marked outside range, discuss it with your doctor. Written and reviewed by a UK consultant physician. Reference ranges vary between laboratories.