Objective To evaluate the performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based rapid detection of methicillin‐resistant S .aureus (MRSA) from the respiratory specimens of ICU patients in comparison with conventional sputum culture . Methods We collected 3 respiratory specimens from each patient simultaneously for bacterial culture ,fungal culture and PCR‐based detection of MRSA .The performance of the established PCR method was compared with the results of sputum culture in terms of sensitivity ,specificity ,positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) .Results The sensitivity , specificity ,PPV and NPV of PCR assay were 88 .9% ,73 .6% ,36 .4% ,and 97 .5% ,respectively ,which were lower than the reported results of PCR assay with nasal swabs .Conclusions The utility of PCR assay for active screening of MRSA from respiratory specimens still needs further supportive data .However ,PCR assay is somewhat informative in excluding MRSA infection or colonization because of its high NPV .