Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Feb 2009
Emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains as a cause of healthcare-associated bloodstream infections in Korea.
The prevalence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains causing bloodstream infection (BSI) has not been studied in Korea. ⋯ CA-MRSA strains are emerging as a major cause of BSI in healthcare settings in Korea. This changing epidemiology of MRSA poses a challenge to public health and infection control in hospital settings.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Feb 2009
Differences between "classical" risk factors for infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and risk factors for nosocomial bloodstream infections caused by multiple clones of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IV MRSA strain.
To identify risk factors associated with nosocomial bloodstream infections caused by multiple clones of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). ⋯ "Classical" risk factors do not apply to patients infected with the SCCmec type IV strain of MRSA, which is an important cause of nosocomial bacteremia. This strain infects a patient population that is less ill and has had less frequent invasive procedures than a patient population infected with the multidrug-resistant strain of SCCmec type III MRSA. We found that virulence factors were rare and that Panton-Valentine leukocidin was absent. There were multiple clones of the SCCmec type IV strain in our hospital. Children under 1 year of age were at a higher risk. There was a predominant clone (sequence type 5) in this patient population.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Feb 2009
Multipronged intervention strategy to control an outbreak of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and its impact on the rates of CDI from 2002 to 2007.
At the end of 2002, a new, more virulent strain of Clostridium difficile, designated BI/NAP1, was the cause of a massive outbreak of infection in the province of Quebec. This particular strain was associated with a dramatic increase in morbidity and mortality among affected patients in 2003-2004. We tested and implemented a multipronged infection control approach to curtail the rate of C. difficile infection (CDI). ⋯ The implementation of a multipronged intervention strategy to control the outbreak of CDI significantly improved the overall situation at the hospital and underlined the importance of investing in stringent infection control practices.