title: A prospective study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in children scheduled for elective surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of surgical wound infections. To obtain contemporary data on S aureus, we performed a prospective study of colonization and infection in children scheduled for elective surgical procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nasal swab and clinical information were obtained at the presurgical outpatient visit. At operation, nasal and perianal swabs were obtained. S aureus were isolated and characterized.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled 499 patients from June 2005 to April 2007. Wound classes were 1 (73%), 2 (22%), 3 (5%), and 4 (0.2%). Prophylactic antibiotics were administered for 153 (31%). Postoperative length of stay ranged from 0 (77%) to 6 days, with 19 (4%) staying 4 days or more. Screening cultures grew S aureus for 186 procedures (36.6%); of these, 141 were methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) (76% of all staphylococcal cultures or 28% of all procedures). Most MRSA had Staphylococcal Chromosomal Cassette mec type II and resistance to clindamycin-typical for hospital-associated strains. There were 10 (2%) surgical site infections, including 4 methicillin-sensitive S aureus, 1 MRSA, 2 with no growth, and 2 with no cultures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Methicillin-resistant S aureus colonization was common in asymptomatic children. Most strains appeared to be health care-associated and resistant to clindamycin. Wound infection rate remained low despite the high prevalence of staphylococcal colonization.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Surgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL 61603, USA. vegunta@uic.edu
authors.forename: Ravindra K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Vegunta
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Lizabeth J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Kanokporn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mongkolrattanothai
authors.forename: Peggy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mankin
authors.forename: Amy B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Stanfill
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pearl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult