Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage among health care personnel in nonoutbreak settings in tertiary care hospital in Mysore

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multidrug resistant organism recognized as major cause of infections ranging from relatively minor skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening systemic infections. Contact transmission from health care personnel (HCP) to the patients provides the main mode of transmission of MRSA. Screening of HCPs colonized with MRSA may aid in preventing spread of this organism. Two samples were collected from 200 HCP which included sample from anterior nares and web spaces of both hands. Identification of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA strains were done as per standard operating protocol. Results were compiled, tabulated, and all data were subjected to SPSS, version 17.0 software for analysis. About 25.5% (51 HCPs) were carriers of S aureus and among them 6.5% (13 HCPs) were carriers of MRSA. Among the MRSA carriers, 28.4% were physicians, followed by nursing interns (21.1%), MBBS interns (9%), nurses (5.4%), and others, that is, physiotherapist, housekeeping staff, and helping staff (37.5%). In spite of having infection control policies in place, MRSA carriage rate was 6.5%. This signifies the importance of periodic systematic screening of all HCPs and decolonization, which may help in eliminating the burden of MRSA carrier status and spread of infection in the health care setting.