[Relation between nutrition of patients and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)]

We respectively evaluated the nutritional state of 31 patients who isolated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated from January to November in 1993. Because 4 of 31 isolates were not considered to be a causative bacteria, we evaluated the rest 27 cases. Fifteen of 27 cases were diagnosed as MRSA infection and 12 (44%) MRSA colonization. We evaluated the nutritional state of patients with infection and colonization. There was significance (p < 0.01) between two groups as for serum total protein were 5.52 g/dl in infection group and 6.65 g/dl in colonization group. Furthermore there were significance (p < 0.05) for mean serum albumin were 3.04 g/dl v.s. 3.58 g/dl and total cholesterol were 122.3 mg/dl v.s. 162.5 mg/dl. Thus, MRSA was colonized in respiratory patients who were in better nutritional state, suggesting that importance of nutritional improvement for prevention and therapy against MRSA infection. We obtained similar results on Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).