title: Prevalence of drug-resistant opportunistic microorganisms in oral cavity after treatment for oral cancer.
abstract: Drug-resistant opportunistic infections may cause health problems in immunocompromised hosts. Representative microorganisms in opportunistic infections of the oral cavity are Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. We investigated the prevalence of drug-resistant opportunistic microorganisms in elderly adults receiving follow-up examinations after primary treatment of oral cancer. Oral microorganisms were collected from patients satisfactorily treated for oral cancer (defined as good outcomes to date) and a group of healthy adults (controls). After identification of microorganisms, the prevalence of drug-resistant microorganisms was studied. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing were also performed for methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA). Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in the prevalences of the three microorganisms between the groups. Surprisingly, 69.2% of S aureus isolates showed oxacillin resistance, suggesting that MRSA colonization is increasing among older Japanese. These MRSA isolates possessed SCCmec types II and IV but no representative toxin genes. Our results indicate that a basic infection control strategy, including standard precautions against MRSA, is important for elderly adults, particularly after treatment for oral cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Oral Health, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Rumi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Tetsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Takamune
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hino
authors.forename: Mitsugi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Shigeaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toratani
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kamata
authors.forename: Motoyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugai
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000032:analysis; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D025141:Drug Resistance, Fungal; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D010068:Oxacillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D010403:Penicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D010068:Oxacillin