Russell County Hospital
1610 Dowell Road
Russell Springs, KY 42642
270-866-4141
DEPARTMENT:
Laboratory
POLICY/PROCEDURE TITLE
Sure-Vue Select Staph ID
POLICY/PROCEDURE NUMBER:
400-PE-MIC-101A
Issued: 5/10/06
Revised:
Supercedes: 400-PE-MIC-101
Prepared by: R. Johnson
Approved:
Reviewed:
Medical Director
Approved:
Reviewed:
Laboratory Director
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I.
PRINCIPLE. The Sure-Vue Select Staph ID latex slide agglutination test is a rapid test for the
detection of both clumping factor and protein A that are used in the identification of
Staphylococcus aureus.
II.
SPECIMEN.
A. Use staphylococcal isolates freshly grown (18-36 hr incubation) on nonselective media, such
as blood agar (BAP).
B. HANDLE ALL BACTERIAL SPECIMENS AS POTENTIALLY BIOHAZARDOUS AND USE
STANDARD PRECAUTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH HOSPITAL AND LABORATORY
SAFETY AND INFECTION CONTROL POLICIES.
III.
REAGENTS/SUPPLIES/EQUIPMENT.
A. Protective gloves and other appropriate PPE.
B. Timer.
C. Microbiological loop or wooden mixing sticks.
D. Quality control organisms.
E. Test kit containing:
1. Two vials of Sure-Vue Select Staph ID reagent (plasma-coated latex particles suspended
in buffered saline).
2. Applicator sticks.
3. Disposable test slides.
F. Storage and handling.
1. HANDLE ALL REAGENTS, CONTROLS, AND CONTAMINATED MATERIALS AS
POTENTIALLY BIOHAZARDOUS AND USE STANDARD PRECAUTIONS IN
ACCORDANCE WITH HOSPITAL AND LABORATORY SAFETY AND INFECTION
CONTROL POLICIES.
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Russell County Hospital
Policy/procedure name: Sure-Vue Select Staph ID
Policy/procedure number: 400-PE-MIC-101A
Issued: 2/1/06
Revised: NA
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Store reagents at 2-8C. Stable until expiration date on label if store properly. Return to
refrigerator after use.
3. Do not use reagent test kit if auto-agglutination is evident or if the expiration date has
been exceeded.
IV.
CALIBRATION. NA.
V.
QUALITY CONTROL.
A. Quality control must be performed at least once each day of patient testing, and when a new
lot number or shipment is put into use, using the following organisms,:
1. Positive control - S. aureus strain such as ATCC 29213.
2. Negative control - S. epidermidis strain such as ATCC 12228
B. QC organisms must be tested in the same manner as unknown test organisms. Do not
accept test results without valid QC results. Should the reagents fail to perform to standard,
discard and use a new kit. Document all QC results in the LIS.
C. HANDLE ALL CONTROL ORGANISMS AND CONTAMINATED MATERIALS AS
POTENTIALLY BIOHAZARDOUS AND USE STANDARD PRECAUTIONS IN
ACCORDANCE WITH HOSPITAL AND LABORATORY SAFETY AND INFECTION
CONTROL POLICIES.
D. To perform QC:
1. Add one drop of reagent to a slide to check for auto-agglutination. None should occur.
2. Use the positive control organism to obtain agglutination.
3. Use the negative control organism to obtain no agglutination
VI.
PROCEDURE.
A. Use only fresh control and test organisms (18-24 hours old).
B. Prior to each use, suspend the reagent by gentle inversion for a few seconds. Place a drop
in each of the test circles to be used.
C. Using a separate applicator stick for each test well, pick up 2-5 colonies of identical
morphology (pick up fewer colonies if they are large and more colonies if they are small).
D. Deposit and spread the colony material onto a dry portion of the well, next to the droplet of
reagent. Mix the bacteria into the reagent droplet to obtain a homogenous suspension
covering the entire well.
E. Rotate the slide for 25 seconds observing for red clumps. Positive reaction will usually take
5-20 seconds.
F. Repeat for additional test organisms.
VII.
CALCULATIONS. NA.
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Russell County Hospital
Policy/procedure name: Sure-Vue Select Staph ID
Policy/procedure number: 400-PE-MIC-101A
Issued: 2/1/06
Revised: NA
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
VIII.
REPORTING RESULTS.
A. Interpretation:
1. Positive – red clumps of agglutination, accompanied by clearing of the opaque
background visible to the unaided eye.
2. Negative – little or no agglutination occurs.
3. Rough or stringy reactions appear as red specks or string aggregates and should be
interpreted as positive when accompanied by a clearing of the background or negative
when accompanied by an opaque pink (no clearing) background.
4. Auto-agglutination is indicative of contamination or deterioration. The test is considered
invalid if either stock control gives an unexpected result or the expiration date of the
reagent has been exceeded.
B. Record each test result as positive or negative in the LIS.
IX.
PROCEDURE NOTES.
X.
LIMITATIONS.
A. Some streptocci possess plasma protein binding factors, and several species, such as
Enterbacteriaceae, non-specifically agglutinate latex particles. Gram stains should be
performed to insure that only organisms with staphylococcal morphology are tested to
eliminate potential interference by these organisms.
B. Media containing high salt concentrations inhibit protein A production and can cause false
negative reactions. Cultures older than 48 hours will frequently yield rough, stringy reactions
that may be non-interpretable or false. Stock cultures should be subcultured to sheep blood
agar overnight before use.
C. Rough strains of staphylococci and yeasts frequently cause non-specific reactions and
should be screen before testing with this method. Gram stain a representative colony to
confirm morphology and Gram stain characteristics.
D. Perform other tests such as catalase to rule out non-staphylococci species.
XI.
REFERENCE. Product insert Sure Vue Select Staph ID Screening/Identification System, Fisher
Health Care, Inc. Houston, TX 77038, 1-800-640-0640, 1-877-500-2049, Rev. 02N0326.
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