title: Unselective use of intranasal mupirocin ointment for controlling propagation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a thoracic surgery ward.
abstract: We executed a blanket-use program of intranasal application of mupirocin ointment to control the propagation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that occurred in a thoracic surgery ward of a university hospital. During an intervention of 14 weeks, all patients admitted to the ward for scheduled surgery received the ointment to their nares three times daily for 3 days before surgery, once on return to the ward, and three times weekly for the following 2 weeks. None of 84 patients was newly colonized with MRSA, and the daily rates of patients with MRSA in a recovery room in the ward significantly decreased in the period. We consider that the unselective application of mupirocin ointment is one of the effective measures to control MRSA propagation in a thoracic surgery unit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, University of Tokyo Hospital, Japan. morin@adm.ncn.ac.jp
authors.forename: Namiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Shigemi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hitomi
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Katsuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okuzumi
authors.forename: Arata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimura
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D016712:Mupirocin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009666:Nose / Q000382:microbiology; D009824:Ointments / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013903:Thoracic Surgery; D014041:Tokyo
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009824:Ointments; D016712:Mupirocin