SCREENING all patients for MRSA when they are admitted to hospital could cut the superbug's death toll and save millions of pounds, experts said..

Health watchdogs urged the Scottish Government to launch a pilot programme in one health board area to see if these benefits could be achieved.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland said screening could mean less infection, shorter hospital stays and fewer deaths.

The antibiotic-resistant superbug is said to account for one in six hospital-acquired infections in Scots acute hospitals.

It is believed to be responsible for around 3000 deaths a year UK-wide. In 2005, 38 death certificates in Scotland recorded MRSA as the underlying cause.

The cost of screening all patients for MRSA on admission to hospital is estimated to be £14.3million in the first year, falling to less than £10m in the fifth year.

But costs of hospital-acquired infections are estimated to be £183m a year, meaning a saving of £55m if a third of these could be prevented.

The report said routine testing could "significantly" reduce infection by attacking the bug at source before it becomes a problem.

Around 52m people worldwide are thought to carry the bug, which lives relatively harmlessly on the body.

The danger from MRSA comes when it moves from the skin into the body, usually through an open wound or sore.

The report recommends the pilot scheme should last at least a year.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland chairman Sir Graham Teasdale said separating people carrying MRSA made it less likely the bug would spread in a hospital.

"Screening offers the chance to test patients when they are pre-assessed for elective surgery or when first admitted," he said.