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.
Carpenter
L Rand
LR
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. L.Rand.Carpenter@state.tn.us
Kainer
Marion
M
Woron
Amy
A
Schaffner
William
W
Jones
Timothy F
TF
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*