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Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Nostril Anteriors and Subungual Spaces of the Hand: Comparative Study of Medical Staff, Patients, and Normal Controls
Author(s) -
Namura Shoko,
Nishijima Setsuko,
Higashida Toshiaki,
Asada Yasuo
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/j.1346-8138.1995.tb03366.x
Subject(s) - nostril , staphylococcus aureus , dentistry , medicine , veterinary medicine , anatomy , biology , nose , genetics , bacteria
An epidemiologic investigation of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonization was conducted at Kansai Medical University Hospital between 1990 and 1991. The incidence of nasal and subungual positivity for S. aureus was examined in a total of 156 subjects including inpatients, physicians, and nurses at a ward for dermatology, plastic surgery, and emergency patients, outpatients with atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases, and normal controls. Inpatients were most heavily colonized with MRSA (40.8%), but S. aureus colonization was most frequent in outpatients with atopic dermatitis (95.5%). Not only nostrils, which have been much discussed as a reservoir of S. aureus , but also subungual spaces seemed to be havens of S. aureus . Twelve out of 22 atopic dermatitis patients were positive for S. aureus on skin regions, and coagulase and phage testing showed a correlation between the nasal and skin‐colonizing S. aureus . Coagulase type II and phase type NT (not typable) were the predominant types of S. aureus , including MRSA.