MRSA is carried by a significant number of people

The Nottingham University team say this, along with better isolation procedures, could cut MRSA rates to the Scandinavian levels within six years.

They have also developed a test which would identify MRSA, in all its forms, within hours.

The test currently used by NHS trusts to check if someone has basic MRSA takes up to three days.

The NHS as a whole does need to raise its standards to combat this very real challenge Professor Roger Finch, Nottingham University

A European comparison in 2002 showed levels of MRSA bloodstream infections in Scandinavian countries were around 2%, compared to 44% in the UK.

The government said in 2004 that it wanted to halve MRSA by 2008.

But in January this year, a leaked Department of Health memo suggested the rate would only be cut by a third by then.

Costly move

Research has shown up to 8% of hospital patients are carriers of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), compared to just over 1% who are infected while they are in hospital.

Identifying these patients would mean they could be isolated, and would not pass on their infection to other patients.

The Department of Health says the only "logical conclusion" is that there should be "universal screening" of patients going into hospital.

But it adds this has a very high cost, and that individual trusts should "review their policies for MRSA screening to determine the most appropriate initial approach to screening for their patient population."

The government is currently backing a trial of a PCR test which can detect two MRSA genes, and provides results within a couple of hours.

It is already used in many European countries and in the US.

But the test developed by the Nottingham team scans for 84 MRSA genes, so it can also show if a patient has MSSA (methicillin sensitive staphylococcus aureus) and the community-acquired strain of the bug - which has been spreading among healthy people.

It can also spot if someone has the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) form of MRSA, which killed a nurse and a patient at a west Midlands hospital in December and also infected six other people.

Existing checks can take up to four weeks to confirm if a patient has the PVL form of MRSA.

The Nottingham test has undergone initial tests on the wards of Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham.

'Selective screening'

Professor Richard James, director of the Centre for Healthcare Associated Infections at Nottingham University, who is developing the test, said: "The Department of Health says everyone should be screened, but leaves it up to individual trusts to decide what to do.

"The evidence is that if you decide who is most at risk, and just screen them, you're going to miss some who might be carriers who could then transmit MRSA to patients around them."

Professor Roger Finch, clinical co-director of the centre, added: "Last year's Health Act said there should be a safe environment for patient care.

"The NHS as a whole does need to raise its standards to combat this very real challenge."

"Screening is happening selectively at the moment. There is clearly a huge workload implication and logistical problem if you're going to start screening more broadly across the NHS as has been recommended, and that needs to be sorted out."

He suggested GPs could also play a part in screening patients due to go into hospitals for operations.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Tackling health care acquired infections is a top priority for the government and the health service. Although MRSA numbers have declined for the past two years, we are not complacent and any avoidable infection is one too many.

"The Department of Health has issued guidance that draws together best practice for the NHS on screening and decolonising high risk groups of patients to reduce MRSA, as part of the government's ongoing commitment to tackle healthcare acquired infections."