title: Differences between Staphylococcus aureus isolates from medical and nonmedical hospital personnel.
abstract: It is unclear whether the levels of Staphylococcus aureus colonization of hospital personnel with patient exposure are increased or whether personnel become colonized with more antibiotic-resistant strains. Differences in nasal and hand carriage of S. aureus between medical and nonmedical hospital personnel were examined. No differences in nasal carriage between the two groups were found; however, there was a trend that suggested differences in the rates of hand carriage of S. aureus (18% of nonmedical personnel and 10% of medical personnel). Medical personnel were colonized with more antibiotic-resistant isolates than nonmedical personnel (mean, 2.8 versus 2.1 isolates [P < 0.03]), and the strain profiles indicated that they tended to be more clonal in origin, suggesting that exposure to hospital isolates alters the colonization profile.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cespedes
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Bianca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Quagliarello
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vavagiakis
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Franklin D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Lowy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D009666:Nose / Q000382:microbiology; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*