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Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
12:18

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Published on: February 9, 2011

Does nasal colonization or mupirocin treatment affect recurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin

Joseph Rahimian1, Raymond Khan, Keith A LaScalea

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Vincent's Hospital, Manhattan, New York Medical College, New York, New York, USA.

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
|October 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Recurrent skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are common. Nasal colonization did not impact recurrence, while nasal mupirocin treatment showed a slight decrease in recurrent infections.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Dermatology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) causes skin and skin structure infections.
  • Recurrent infections pose a significant challenge in managing CA-MRSA.
  • Nasal colonization is a potential reservoir for Staphylococcus aureus.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of nasal colonization on recurrence of CA-MRSA skin infections.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of nasal mupirocin treatment in reducing recurrence.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study design.
  • Analysis of patient data on CA-MRSA skin infections.
  • Assessment of nasal Staphylococcus aureus colonization status.
  • Evaluation of recurrence rates with and without nasal mupirocin treatment.

Main Results:

  • Nasal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus did not significantly affect the recurrence of skin and skin structure infections.
  • Nasal mupirocin treatment resulted in a marginal decrease in the recurrence of these infections.

Conclusions:

  • Nasal Staphylococcus aureus colonization is not a predictor of recurrence for CA-MRSA skin infections.
  • Nasal mupirocin may offer a slight benefit in preventing recurrent CA-MRSA skin infections, warranting further investigation.

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