Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Development and Assessment of Intracellular Infection Models for Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: January 17, 2025
Randomized Controlled Trial of Preoperative Topical Decolonization to Reduce Surgical Site Infection for
Harvey Smith1, Kate Borchard, Paul Cherian
1*All authors are affiliated with Oxford Dermatology, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Background:
Surgical site infection (SSI) is mainly due to endogenous bacteria. Topical decolonization is a preoperative intervention currently advised for proven nasal carriers of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).
Objective:
The authors assessed whether topical decolonization could be of benefit for patients who are not nasal carriers of S. aureus.
Methods And Materials:
The authors performed a randomized controlled trial of S. aureus nasal swab-negative patients. Five days before Mohs surgery topical decolonization with nasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine, body wash was started. The control group had no intervention.
Results:
In the week after Mohs surgery, the infection rate in the intervention group was 2% (n = 661, 14) and that of the control group was 4% (n = 689, 29).
Conclusion:
Topical decolonization reduces SSI in nasal swab-negative Mohs surgery patients.
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