Open AccessTransmission of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an acute care hospital in Japan
Author(s) -
Matsumoto Kaori,
Takeuchi Seisho,
Uehara Yoshio,
Matsushita Masahide,
Arise Kazumi,
Morimoto Norihito,
Yagi Yusuke,
Seo Hiromi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of general and family medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2189-7948
DOI - 10.1002/jgf2.216
Subject(s) - medicine , multilocus sequence typing , methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus , transmission (telecommunications) , staphylococcus aureus , colonization , asymptomatic carrier , hygiene , infection control , asymptomatic , staphylococcal infections , carriage , population , emergency medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , intensive care medicine , environmental health , genotype , pathology , bacteria , biology , biochemistry , genetics , gene , electrical engineering , engineering
Background Asymptomatic carriers of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA ) are important sources of nosocomial transmission. However, the route of transmission of MRSA is not completely understood. The purpose of this study was to calculate MRSA transmission rates in a hospital with a high MRSA infection/colonization density and inadequate hand hygiene compliance. Methods The prevalence of MRSA colonization among 157 patients at the time of admission to and discharge from a medical school hospital in Japan was determined by performing surveillance cultures. All MRSA isolates were evaluated using multilocus sequence typing ( MLST ) to identify the transmission routes. Results Methicillin‐resistant S. aureus was prevalent in 1.9% of our study population. MRSA was acquired during hospitalization at a rate of 4.0/1000 patient‐days. At discharge, 5.1% of the patients exhibited MRSA colonization; this was significantly higher than the prevalence noted upon admission ( P < 0.001). MLST documented three possible nosocomial transmission events. MRSA colonization was detected using surveillance cultures prior to being identified by conventional, clinically oriented examinations. Conclusions Multilocus sequence typing results suggested that patients who were colonized with MRSA acquired it during hospitalization. These results reinforce the importance of infection control for preventing nosocomial MRSA transmission in hospitalized patients.