Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Oct 2006
Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in a surgical intensive care unit.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a cause of healthcare-associated infections among surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients, though transmission dynamics are unclear. ⋯ Active surveillance detected a sizable proportion of MRSA-colonized patients not identified by clinical culture. MRSA colonization on admission was associated with recent healthcare contact and underlying disease. Acquisition was associated with potentially modifiable processes of care.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Oct 2006
Comparative StudyCharacteristics of patients with healthcare-associated infection due to SCCmec type IV methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV allele is most commonly associated with community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) infection; however, such organisms have also been identified in the healthcare setting. The objective of the present study was to characterize the epidemiology of and clinical outcomes associated with SCCmec-IV MRSA infection acquired in the healthcare setting, compared with infection caused by MRSA of other SCCmec types. ⋯ SCCmec-IV MRSA appears to have become established in hospitals. The onset of infection caused by SCCmec-IV strains is earlier than the onset of infection with SCCmec-II/III strains; however, associated types of infection are similar. Infection with SCCmec-II/III MRSA is currently associated with an adverse impact on outcome, compared with infection with SCCmec-IV MRSA. Further research is warranted to determine the impact of SCCmec type IV strains in hospital settings.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Oct 2006
Comparative StudyImpact of alcohol-based, waterless hand antiseptic on the incidence of infection and colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.
Colonized and infected inpatients are major reservoirs for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and transient carriage of these pathogens on the hands of healthcare workers remains the most common mechanism of patient-to-patient transmission. We hypothesized that use of alcohol-based, waterless hand antiseptic would lower the incidence of colonization and/or infection with MRSA and VRE. ⋯ Alcohol hand antiseptic appears to be effective in controlling the transmission of VRE. However, after controlling for proximity to prevalent cases (ie, for clustering), it does not appear to be more effective than standard methods for controlling MRSA. Further controlled studies are needed to evaluate its effectiveness.