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A Long‐Term Survey of Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Oral Cavity of Children
Author(s) -
Suzuki Junji,
Komatsuzawa Hitoshi,
Sugai Motoyuki,
Suzuki Takako,
Kozai Katsuyuki,
Miyake Yoichiro,
Suginaka Hidekazu,
Nagasaka Nobuo
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1997.tb01911.x
Subject(s) - staphylococcus aureus , coagulase , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , typing , colonization , methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus , micrococcaceae , antibiogram , staphylococcal infections , incidence (geometry) , antibiotics , staphylococcus , bacteria , antibacterial agent , antibiotic resistance , genetics , physics , optics
Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an indigenous bacteria in healthy people, often causes nosocomial infections. If the host human becomes compromised, MRSA can cause a serious infection. The long‐term colonization of MRSA increases this risk. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the incidence of S. aureus and MRSA colonization in the oral cavities of healthy children, and to examine the stability of identical strains of MRSA over a long‐term period. Fourteen children were examined in two stages (first stage: 1987–88, second stage: 1992–93). Five of the 14 children were negative for S. aureus in both stages, seven children were positive in both stages and two children were positive in only the second stage. The children who were colonized with S. aureus in the first stage always harbored the bacteria in the second stage. Of the seven children that were positive for S. aureus in both stages, three persisted in carrying MRSA. We compared two MRSA strains isolated from the same children in both stages by coagulase typing, antibiogram typing and DNA fingerprinting. In two children, the strains showed the same coagulase types, similar antibiograms and similar DNA fragment profiles. These data strongly suggest that identical strains of MRSA persisted in the oral cavities for more than five years, and that the oral cavity can serve as a reservoir for MRSA with the potential to cause nosocomial infections.