Surveillance and prophylactic intervention of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in a hemodialysis unit

Surveillance of 101 hemodialysis patients for Staphylococcus aureus positive nasal cultures was performed by monthly nasal swabs over a 27-month period. All positive cultures were treated with a prophylactic antibiotic regimen. Forty-seven (46.5%) patients had one or more positive cultures. The surveillance period was longer in the S. aureus nasal carriers (p = 0.004). The frequency of positive cultures correlated with the duration of surveillance (p = 0.029). The incidence of S. aureus bacteremia was greater in patients with two or more positive cultures (p = 0.030). This study suggests that continuous surveillance for S. aureus nasal colonization is essential to properly identify all patients at risk of developing S. aureus bacteremias.