Shedding of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli during outpatient appointments and procedures outside hospital rooms

We examined shedding during appointments outside patient rooms. • 38.5% of MRSA-colonized patients shed MRSA during appointments. • Presence of wounds with MRSA was a significant risk for environmental shedding. • No shedding of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli was detected. Limit ed information is available on the frequency of and risk factors for shedding of health care-associated pathogens in settings outside patient rooms. We conducted a cohort study of hospitalized or recently discharged patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (N = 39) or multidr ug-resistant gram-negative bacilli (MDR-GNB) (N = 11) colonization to determine the frequency of environmental shedding during appointments outside hospital rooms or during outpatient clinic visits. Chi-square tests were performed to identify patient-level factors associated with environmental shedd ing. Spa typing was performed for environmental and nasal MRSA isolates. Of 50 patients enrolled, 39 were colonized with MRSA and 11 with MDR-GNB. Shedding during 1 or more appointments occurred more often for patients colonized with MRSA versus MDR-GNB (15 of 39, 38.5% versus 0 of 11, 0%; P =.02). The presence of a wound with a positive culture for MRSA was associated with shedding of MRSA during appointments (11 of 15, 73.3% with shedding versus 4 of 24, 16.7% with no shedding; P =.008). Eighty percent of environmental MRSA isolates were genetically related to concurrent nasal isolates based ...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news