Invitrogen and Biosynth AG, a manufacturer of specialty chemicals for the life science and pharmaceutical industries, have announced the launch of a novel, fluorescence-based culture medium for the rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals and medical settings.

The new BCM® MRSA ELF® culture media will be manufactured and sold by Biosynth under license from Invitrogen's Molecular Probes business. BCM MRSA ELF is designed to provide faster test results for active surveillance culturing, the most widely used method in hospitals and clinics to monitor, manage and prevent transmission of MRSA.

Biosynth's culture media uses a proprietary enzyme substrate that produces a bright, fluorescent signal at the site of enzymatic activity – a living MRSA colony. With this innovation, positive MRSA colonies can be identified in 8 to 12 hours.

This rapid, low cost screening tool can be used in clinical and environmental testing where constant surveillance is the key to controlling spread of infection and reducing costs.