Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and skin infections among personnel at a pediatric clinic.
Ambulatory care visits for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are increasing dramatically. We investigated a pediatric clinic worker's death caused by MRSA. Among 45 clinic personnel, 16 reported recent skin infections, and 4% were colonized with MRSA. Among 262 patients, 3.4% were colonized with MRSA. Standard precautions were inconsistently applied when treating skin infections. Eight (11%) of 71 environmental swipes contained S aureus. Health care workers in outpatient settings are increasingly exposed to substantial numbers of persons with MRSA, and infection control practices in the ambulatory care setting deserve reemphasis.
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. L.Rand.Carpenter@state.tn.us
L Rand
LR
Carpenter
Marion
M
Kainer
Amy
A
Woron
William
W
Schaffner
Timothy F
TF
Jones
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*