High prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on doctors' neckties

We set out to investigate whether neckties worn by doctors are more likely to be contaminated with Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) compared to neckties worn by preclinical medical undergraduates who have never been exposed to a hospital environment. We discovered that more than half (52%) of neckties worn by doctors were contaminated with Staphylococcus and out of these, 62% of them were identified as MRSA. In contrast, none of the student's ties were contaminated with MRSA. Due to the high prevalence of staphylococcus detected on doctors' neckties, we recommend that health care workers do not wear neckties.