Prolonged outbreak of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a cardiac surgery unit linked to a single colonized healthcare worker.
J Hosp Infect
; 83(3): 219-25, 2013 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23369471
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In low- as well as in high-prevalence settings, healthcare workers (HCWs) may be a substantial, under-recognized, reservoir of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and an important potential source of transmission to patients.AIM:
To report an outbreak of MRSA in a cardiac surgery unit in England over a 10-month period.METHODS:
Cases were defined as patients and staff on the cardiac surgery unit from whom the outbreak strain was newly isolated between 20 May 2011 and 16 March 2012. Representative isolates from all cases were characterized by spa-typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multi-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA).FINDINGS:
Four patients appeared to acquire MRSA during their inpatient stay on the cardiac surgery unit. All four patients and one HCW were found to be carrying an identical epidemic (E)MRSA-15 strain (spa t032, pulsotype A, MLVA profile 16-6-3-1-1-17-1-4). No other members of staff were found to be colonized with MRSA. The colonized HCW was thought to be the source of the outbreak and was decolonized using a combination of nasal mupirocin, chlorhexidine body wash and oral rifampicin and doxycycline.CONCLUSIONS:
This report highlights recent changes in the epidemiology of MRSA in England and suggests an important role for colonized HCWs in the transmission of MRSA to patients. Screening HCWs may provide an increasingly valuable strategy in managing linked hospital acquisitions and well-defined outbreaks where initial investigation does not reveal a source.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções Estafilocócicas
/
Infecção Hospitalar
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Surtos de Doenças
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Pessoal de Saúde
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Staphylococcus aureus Resistente à Meticilina
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Hosp Infect
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido