[Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at the Kenézy Hospital between 1999 and 2004].
BACKGROUND
The prevention of the spread of multiresistant microorganisms, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is the main problem of epidemiology in our era. Kenézy Hospital was among the firsts to deal with the laboratory diagnosis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in Hungary, looking for the possibilities to isolate, and detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in patients (colonised and infected), and to provide for them proper treatment and complex management.


OBJECTIVE
The authors aimed to help the work of infection control professionals by sharing their experience and through the analysis of their data.


METHODS
The authors analysed the data on the incidence of infection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus positive patients from 1999 at the Kenézy Hospital and investigated the effect of infection control policies on the incidence of infection.


RESULTS
On the hospital level the lowest frequency of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus positive patients was found in 2003. The authors identified the Rehabilitation, the Traumatology and the Intensive Care Department as high risk units. The higher incidence was caused by the endemic occurrence of the disease at the specific wards. The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections became more severe every year, demonstrated by the increasing positivity rate of the blood cultures. Based on the identification of the most frequent phage types in each year, an epidemic strain, unlike in England, could not be found at the Kenézy Hospital.


CONCLUSIONS
The number of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus positive patients at an institute depends on the institute's efforts to effectively apply microbiological screening. At a department where methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is endemic, elimination of the agent and that of the endemia are difficult tasks for the infection control team.
Orosi
Piroska
P
Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Onkormányzat, Kenézy Gyula Kórház-Rendelointézet, Debrecen.
Farks
Anikó
A
Rácz
József
J
Dán
Anikó
A
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*