Epidemiological relatedness of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a tertiary hospital and a geriatric institution in Spain.
From January 2000 to June 2002, 24 Staphylococcus aureus isolates were recovered from decubitus ulcers of patients in a geriatric institution, of which 17 (70.8%) were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Antibiotic resistance and DNA macrorestriction (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis; PFGE) patterns of the MRSA isolates were compared with a collection of 161 MRSA isolates from patients admitted to the institution's reference hospital. PFGE revealed the presence of five clonal types (found also in hospitalised patients) among the 17 MRSA isolates. The findings suggest nosocomial acquisition of the MRSA strains by five patients, with subsequent dissemination of the strains within the institution. The high rate of MRSA highlights the need for epidemiological analysis to control the dissemination of MRSA in long-term care facilities.
Ruiz de Gopegui
E
E
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Son Dureta, Balearic Islands, Spain. eruiz@ponsoft.com
Oliver
A
A
Ramírez
A
A
Gutiérrez
O
O
Andreu
C
C
Pérez
J L
JL
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology; D012112:Residential Facilities; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics