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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

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Methicillin-resistant and vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus colonizing patients and intensive care unit

Jéssica O Veloso1, Juliana Lamaro-Cardoso2, Lorrane S Neves2

  • 1Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Curitiba, Brazil.

APMIS : Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica, Et Immunologica Scandinavica
|August 14, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Staphylococcus aureus, including multidrug-resistant and methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA), frequently colonizes patients and ICU environments. These resistant bacteria spread between patients and surfaces, persisting in the ICU.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Hospital Epidemiology

Background:

  • Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections.
  • Understanding its prevalence, resistance patterns, and transmission dynamics in intensive care units (ICUs) is crucial for infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus colonization in patients and the ICU environment.
  • To characterize the virulence and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of S. aureus isolates.
  • To evaluate the genetic relatedness of S. aureus strains within the ICU.

Main Methods:

  • Collection and analysis of 536 swabs from patients and ICU surfaces.
  • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing using disk diffusion.
  • Detection of mecA and virulence genes via PCR.
  • SCCmec typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for genetic analysis.

Main Results:

  • Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 12.7% of samples, with colonization rates of 13.4% in patients and 12.4% in the environment.
  • Multidrug resistance was observed in 82.4% of isolates.
  • Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) prevalence was 20.6%, with 50% being SCCmec IV.
  • Vancomycin intermediate resistance was detected in 5.9% of patient isolates and 4.4% of environmental isolates.
  • PFGE revealed dissemination of multidrug-resistant strains between patients and fomites.

Conclusions:

  • Multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, including MRSA and vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), are prevalent and disseminated within the ICU.
  • These resistant isolates persist in the ICU environment, highlighting the need for stringent infection control measures.
Keywords:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureuscolonizationinanimate surfacesintensive care unitsvancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus

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