Form HAIC.400.5 CDC's Healthcare-Associated Infections Community Interface (HAIC) Staphylococcus aureus Laboratory Survey

CDC’s Healthcare-Associated Infections Community Interface (HAIC)
Staphylococcus aureus Laboratory Survey

Form approved
OMB No. 0920-0978
January 2026
Expires xx/xx/xxxx

Date Survey Completed: _________________ EIP Site: __________ Completed by: ______________________________
Hospital/Lab ID: ________________________ Lab contact to complete the survey (name/title): ______________________
Date Last Survey Completed: ________________

1. Type of laboratory

□ Hospital laboratory
□ Commercial or private reference laboratory
□ State or local public health laboratory
□ Other, please specify______________________________________________________________________
□ Lab did not respond – END SURVEY
Thank you for completing this survey. We are asking you to complete this survey because your laboratory serves
the catchment area for the Emerging Infections Program’s (EIP) culture-based invasive S. aureus/MRSA
surveillance program. Our aim for this survey is to understand how S. aureus/MRSA are identified from normally
sterile site specimens in your lab. We also aim to understand circumstances in which identification of S.
aureus/MRSA in a normally sterile site specimen may not be reported to EIP staff, potentially resulting in a
missed surveillance case (e.g., if only positive cultures/isolates are reported in the line list, and a cultureindependent diagnostic test is used). PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL OF THE QUESTIONS APPLY TO
TESTING OF SPECIMENS FROM NORMALLY STERILE SITES (e.g., blood, CSF, bone, peritoneal fluid,
etc.). (Do NOT include testing procedures for non-sterile site colonization, such as nasal or rectal swabs.)
2. During the past year (i.e., in the past 12 months or since the completion of the last lab survey), has your lab
changed testing methods used to detect MRSA or S. aureus from normally sterile site (e.g., blood, CSF, bone)
specimens?

MRSA only
All Staphylococcus aureus

Yes

No

□
□

□
□

Not applicable/
no surveillance

□
□

2a. If yes, what change(s) did you make?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2b. If yes when did the change occur?
MRSA (i.e., not for MSSA) (Month/year of change) _______/_________
Staphylococcus aureus (i.e., both MRSA and MSSA) (Month/year of change) _______/____________

Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant)
3.

Do you routinely set up culture for sterile site (blood, CSF, bone, etc.) specimens on site (in-house) at
your laboratory?

□ Yes

- GO TO Q4

□ No – GO TO Q3a

Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 9 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data
sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a current valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer; 1600 Clifton Rd NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329;
ATTN: PRA (xxxx-xxxx)

–IMPORTANT – PLEASE COMPLETE THE BACK OF THIS FORM –

3a. [If no] To which laboratory do you send specimens for culture/identification?

____________________________________ – GO TO Q5
Question 4 asks about methods for identifying S. aureus or MRSA from a positive sterile site (blood, CSF,
bone, etc.) culture.
4.

If a culture is positive, is an isolate always obtained?

□

Yes – GO TO Q4b

□ No – GO TO Q4a

4a. [If no] explain/specify reason: __________________________________________________
4b. Are any tests used to identify S. aureus performed offsite?
□ No, all S. aureus identification performed On-site – GO TO Q4c
□ Yes, some S. aureus identification performed offsite
please specify offsite lab and tests (if known) __________________ – GO TO Q4c
□ Yes, all S. aureus identification performed offsite
please specify offsite lab and tests (if known) __________________ - GO TO Q5
4c. If a culture is positive, how do you identify it as S. aureus? (Check all that apply)

□ MALDI-TOF
□ Biochemical tests, manual or automated (e.g., catalase, coagulase, Microscan, Vitek, Pheonix)
□ Other non-molecular test (e.g., latex agglutination, selective media), specify:
_____________________

□ Molecular test other than MALDI-TOF (e.g., NAAT, PCR) – If you use molecular tests, GO
TO 4d; if you do not use molecular tests GO TO Q4e

4d. Which molecular tests are used? Please check all that apply.

□ FilmArray® Blood Culture Identification Panel
□ Verigene® Gram-Positive Blood Culture Test
□ Verigene® Staphylococcus Blood Culture Test
□ Cepheid Xpert® MRSA/SA BC
□ BD Geneohm® StaphSR
□ AdvanDx Staphylococcus QuickFISH blood culture kit
□ AdvanDx S. aureus/CNS PNA FISH
□ Alere BinaxNOW® Staphylococcus aureus test
□ Great Basin Staph ID/R blood culture panel
□ Accelerate PhenoTest™ BC kit
□ iCubate iC-GPC Assay™
□ mecA XpressFISH®
□ Micacom hemoFISH Masterpanel
□ ePlex BCID-GP Panel

CDC’s Healthcare-Associated Infections Community Interface (HAIC) Staphylococcus aureus
Laboratory Survey

□ BioFire Blood Culture Identification 2 (BCID2) Panel
□ Other, Lab Developed molecular Test (detects MRSA or SA)
□ Other commercial molecular test, Specify_______
4e. Do you anticipate any changes to testing/identification processes for S. aureus or MRSA from a
positive sterile source culture within the next year?

□ Yes – GO TO Q4f

□ No – GO TO Q5

4f. Specify testing changes: _____________________________________
4g. When do you plan to make this change?
Month/Year: ____/____

Question 5 asks about testing performed directly on sterile site specimens (a positive culture is not
required to perform these tests).
5. Do you routinely run any tests on site (in-house) or at another lab that detect S. aureus directly from a
normally sterile site specimen (e.g., blood, CSF) without a culture (i.e., culture independent diagnostic test)?

□ Yes – GO TO Q5a

□ No - GO TO Q5e

5a. [If yes] Which tests are used to detect S. aureus directly from a normally sterile site specimen without
culture (sterile site sources only, i.e. blood, CSF, pleural fluid, bone, etc.)? Please check all that
apply.

□ T2Bacteria® Panel…Date started__________
□ Other FDA-approved test, Specify_______...Date started__________
Method: □ PCR □ Next generation sequencing (NGS) □ Other, specify: __________

□ Karius TestTM…Date started__________
□ Other, Lab Developed Test (detects MRSA or SA)… Date started ____________________
Method: □ PCR □ Next generation sequencing (NGS) □ Other, specify: __________

5b. [If yes] Where is this testing completed?
□ On-site
□ Send out, please specify lab __________________
5c. Do you still obtain an isolate for S. aureus or MRSA if these tests are used?
□ Yes □ No □ Other, specify: ___________
5d. Do positive culture-independent diagnostic tests directly from normally sterile specimens appear in
the S. aureus surveillance laboratory line lists (even if no positive associated culture)?
□ Yes
□ No

5e. Do you plan to start offering any new tests that you are not currently using for detection of S. aureus
or MRSA directly from a sterile source within the next year?

[Type here]

□ Yes – GO TO Q5f

□ No – END SURVEY

5f. If yes, which tests do you plan to use to detect S. aureus directly from a sterile site source without

culture? (sterile site sources only, i.e. blood, CSF, pleural fluid, bone, etc.)? Please check all that
apply.

□ T2Bacteria® Panel
□ Other FDA-approved test, Specify_______
□ Karius TestTM
□ Other, Lab Developed Test (detects MRSA or SA)
5g. When do you plan to start offering these tests? Month/Year: ____/____
5h. Where do you plan to have these tests performed?
□ On-site
□ Send out, please specify lab __________________
5i. Will all positive tests directly from sterile sources (without positive culture) appear in the S. aureus
surveillance laboratory line lists?
□ Yes
□ No
□ Unknown
5j. Will you still obtain an isolate for S. aureus or MRSA if these tests are used?
□ Yes – END SURVEY □ No – END SURVEY
□ Unknown – END SURVEY

Comments:

END SURVEY