2020/07/20 by Aghamali, Mina, Taghizadeh, Sepehr, Mehramuz, Bahareh +6
Medicine · #610 Medical sciences #Infektionskontrolle #MRSA #Medicine #Methicillin-resistanter S. epidermidis #healthcare worker #infection control #medizinisches Personal #methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis #nasal carrier #nasaler Träger
paper · doi:10.3205/dgkh000352
Background: The opportunistic pathogens, methicillin-resistant-Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcusepidermidis, are associated with severe nosocomial infections and high levels of mortality. Healthcare workers colonized with either MRSA or methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) in the nasal cavity are high risk groups for transmitting the agent to hospitalized patients. Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of nasal carriage of MRSA and methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis among healthcare providers of Imam Reza University Teaching Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. Methods: A total of one hundred two nasal swabs were obtained from participants working on different wards of the hospitals. The antibiotic resistance pattern was investigated using disk diffusion methods, which were subsequently evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the mecA gene. Results: In the screened population, 22 isolates of S. aureus and 72 of S. epidermidis were detected. Of these, 7 isolates of S. aureus and 36 of S. epidermidis were cefoxitin resistant. Three isolates of S. aureus isolates and 35 of S. epidermidis were MRSE and positive for mecA amplification. Moreover, all isolates were penicillin G resistant but vancomycin and linezolid sensitive. High resistance was observed to clindamycin (74%). Conclusions: The present study indicates that healthcare workers are at high risk of acquisition and transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococci. Early screening and decolonization of hospital staff, as well as education on standard sanitation measures, especially hand hygiene practice, remain the most effective strategies for controlling transmission of infectious agents.