Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus: the scale of the problem in a Shri Lankan hospital

A three month surveillance study of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was carried out in the male surgical unit of the General Hospital, Peradeniya, Shri Lanka. Nose, throat, axillary, perineal and wound swabs were taken from 251 patients and 35 staff members. Eighty-four (27.5%) of 305 isolates of S. aureus from patients were MRSA. Seventy-three of these isolates were also resistant to penicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol and co-trimoxazole. All isolates were sensitive to fusidic acid, clindamycin, vancomycin and rifampicin. The acquisition of MRSA was higher than of methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MRSA). No deaths occurred due to MRSA. Staff carriage was only 6%. The treatment and management of MRSA in hospitals with very poor resources requires further study of interventions which are practicable in this situation.