title: Rapid PCR detection of the methicillin resistance gene, mecA, on the hands of medical and non-medical personnel and healthy children and on surfaces in a neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: The hands of medical personnel are the chief vectors for transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and probably serve as an important reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes in hospitals. In this survey we examined different reservoirs of the methicillin resistance gene, mecA, using a simplified PCR method. Samples (n = 151) were taken from the hands of medical and non-medical personnel and healthy children and from surfaces in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We also performed sampling from 4 different body sites in 5 of the medical personnel. Fifteen out of 16 nurses (94%) from the ICU carried the mecA gene on their hands, whereas only 35% of the paediatric nurses were mecA-positive. Of all medical personnel, 44% carried the mecA gene on their hands. There was a significant difference (p < 0.015) between medical and non-medical personnel in terms of the carriage rate of mecA. Four samples from surfaces in a NICU--2 ventilators, 1 bench and 1 telephone--were positive for mecA. Our results are comparable with those from previous studies on reservoirs of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci using conventional culture techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klingenberg
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Glad
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Olsvik
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Flaegstad
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology*; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase / Q000235:genetics*; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000635:transmission*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase