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Meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a veterinary orthopaedic referral hospital: staff nasal colonisation and incidence of clinical cases
Author(s) -
McLean C. L.,
Ness M. G.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of small animal practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1748-5827
pISSN - 0022-4510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2007.00529.x
Subject(s) - staphylococcus aureus , medicine , meticillin , colonisation , staphylococcal infections , staphylococcus , incidence (geometry) , staphylococcus pseudintermedius , microbiology and biotechnology , micrococcaceae , veterinary medicine , antibacterial agent , antibiotics , colonization , bacteria , biology , genetics , physics , optics
O bjectives :To evaluate staff nasal colonisation with meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a veterinary orthopaedic referral hospital, and its effect on the occurrence of meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus ‐associated postoperative wound complications in orthopaedic and spinal surgical patients.M ethods :Nasal bacterial swabs were collected from veterinary staff and environmental surfaces swabbed at six monthly intervals for meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus monitoring over an 18 month period. The incidence of meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus ‐associated postoperative wound complications of two veterinary orthopaedic surgeons was reviewed for a period when one was positive for nasal meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus .R esults :Meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from a maximum of two out of 10 staff on each occasion. The persistently infected clinician was primary surgeon in 180 cases, of which four developed meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus ‐associated wound complications. None of 141 operations led by the other surgeon developed meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus ‐associated complications. This difference is not statistically significant (P=0·0974). The 95 per cent confidence interval for this odds ratio was 0·83 to 44·0. Meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus resistance patterns of the human nasal isolates and three of four wound‐associated isolates were similar.C linical S ignificance :Veterinary workers are at increased risk for meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonisation, so it is likely that many veterinary patients are treated by meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus ‐positive staff. Nasal colonisation of veterinary surgeons with meticillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus appears to present only a small risk to their patients when appropriate infection control procedures are followed.