Division of Infectious Diseases of the Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6021, USA. ebbing@mail.med.upenn.edu
We studied provider- and patient-collected samples from multiple anatomic sites to determine the yield for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Sampling of multiple sites was required to achieve a sensitivity of more than 90% for MRSA colonization. Groin and perineum samples yielded positive results significantly more often for community-onset MRSA than for hospital-onset MRSA. Agreement rates between provider- and patient-collected swab specimens were excellent.