Korean J Clin Microbiol.  2011 Mar;14(1):18-23. 10.5145/KJCM.2011.14.1.18.

Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Mupirocin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

• Lee AJ
• Suh HS
• Jeon CH
• Kim SG

• KMID: 1449494
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2011.14.1.18

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a known risk factor for nosocomialtransmission and infection. In an effort to mitigate this problem, topical mupirocin has been widely used for clearing nasal carriage of MRSA. However, mupirocin resistance has become a worldwide concern due to increased use of the antibiotic. The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prevalence of mupirocin resistance among clinical isolates of staphylococci and to investigate antimicrobial susceptibility.
METHODS
A total of 175 S. aureus specimens recovered over a 4-month period from various body sites were tested for resistance to mupirocin and other antibiotics using the Vitek2 automated system. The presence of the mupA gene was assessed in isolates exhibiting resistance to mupirocin and in other selected organisms. The clinical characteristics of the isolates were also reviewed.
RESULTS
Of the 175 S. aureus isolates, 9.1% (16/175) were resistant to mupirocin, with 1.7% (3/175) having high-level resistance (HR) and 7.4% (13/175) having low-level resistance (LR). Patients with HR-mupirocin-resistant S. aureus had a longer duration of hospitalization (P=0.026). Of the 13 LR-mupirocin-resistant S. aureus strains, 11 had identical antibiogram patterns. The mupA gene was detected only among HR isolates.
CONCLUSION
The rate of mupirocin resistance in the S. aureus isolates was high. The spread of mupirocin-resistant S. aureus may be due to nosocomial infection.

Keyword

Mupirocin; Staphylococcus aureus; Drug resistance

MeSH Terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Colon
Cross Infection
Drug Resistance
Hospitalization
Humans
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Mupirocin
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Staphylococcus
Staphylococcus aureus
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Mupirocin

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Bands of mupA gene in 3 high-level resistance of mupirocin. Lane 1, patient No. 162; Lane 2, patient No. 192; Lane 3, patient No. 195; Lane 4, PCR size marker.

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