The diabetic foot clinic: not a significant source for acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Diabetic foot clinics have been reported as a source of acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We undertook a 10-year review of patients infected or colonized with MRSA from a tertiary care hospital diabetic foot clinic and describe the epidemiology and genotypes of newly acquired MRSA in comparison with the community at large.

All new MRSA cases from the diabetic foot clinic, the hospital, and the province were reviewed to identify and compare the 10-year trend in MRSA incidence. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis using SmaI of all clinic isolates was performed, and standard genotypes were assigned to assess the genetic heterogeneity of MRSA in the clinic.

Analysis of trends revealed a low-potential, clinic-attributable incidence and a total clinic incidence that was comparable with regional and hospital MRSA rates. Strains recovered from clinic patients were genetically heterogeneous.

Our 10-year analysis of trends in MRSA acquisition and MRSA genotypes data does not support significant transmission of MRSA in this clinic setting.