Int J Oral Biol.  2010 Mar;35(1):7-12.

Monitoring of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Nasal Swabs Obtained from Dental Clinic Healthcare Providers and Medical Environment Nurses

• Han SH
• Song IS
• Kim JK
• Park JG
• Park JH
• Lee MJ
• Kim SM
• Kim KJ

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate the nosocomial infection route of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and explore preventative methods for this pathogen that involve blocking its dispersion. We cultured MRSA from nasal cavity swabs collected between June and July 2008 that we obtained from eight dental healthcare providers, 32 nurses and the sputum specimens of two patients from our hospital. In addition, we used VITEK 2 equipment to measure drug sensitivity, and we further performed biochemical testing and pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to isolate MRSA colonies. The incidence of these bacteria on the nasal swabs was 25.0% from dental clinic healthcare providers, 13.6% from the internal medicine ward nurses and 30.0% from intensive care unit nurses. Moreover, MRSA was detectable in sputum specimens of ward patients. The antimicrobial agents resistance and partial PFGE types of MRSA showed a similar pattern. We suggest from these analyses that nasal cavity infection by MRSA could occur by cross contamination between healthcare providers and patients which underscores the importance of stringent MRSA management practices.

Keyword

MRSA; nosocomial infection; nasal swab

MeSH Terms

Anti-Infective Agents
Bacteria
Cross Infection
Delivery of Health Care
Dental Clinics
Electrophoresis
Health Personnel
Humans
Incidence
Intensive Care Units
Internal Medicine
Methicillin Resistance
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Nasal Cavity
Sputum
Anti-Infective Agents