Overview
We utilize Mannitol salt agar (MSA), colistin-nalidixic acid blood agar (CNA), DNase, coagulase, catalase, and Gram stain tests to test for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in samples obtained from the anterior nares of consenting adults. All S. aureus isolates undergo further characterization for methicillin resistance (MRSA) via Kirby-Bauer assay, and production of the following proteins involved in pathogenesis: alpha toxin (hemolysin), TSST-1, SEA, SEB, and SEC (superantigens). In order to understand the genetic distribution of these toxins the prevalence of the associated genes is also analyzed via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or whole genome sequencing (WGS).
1631
Swabs Collected
88
Undergraduate Student Researchers
107
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Staph Study at the MN State Fair
Collecting swabs in the Driven to Discover Building