title: Selective Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) screening of a high risk population does not adequately detect MRSA carriers within a country with low MRSA prevalence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) has been widely recognized as a serious problem in hospital settings. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the predictive value of MRSA colonization factors in the detection of MRSA carriers in an orthopedic ward.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic MRSA detection strategy was set up to assess the predictive value of MRSA colonization factors among 554 patients undergoing elective knee arthroplasty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total 116 patients were found positive for Staphylococcus Aureus; among those 110/116 patients were found positive for Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus Aureus (MSSA) and 6/116 for MRSA. Only one patient out of six presented two risk factors according to MRSA risk factors. In this study, no correlation was found between the remaining conventional risk factors, according to Belgian guidelines, defined to target high-risk populations and to identify MRSA carriers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Established criteria for selective MRSA screening do not allow detecting MRSA carriers. The objective of detecting MRSA carriers is not correctly met by the actual applied criteria (Belgian consensus) for a selective screening policy. Future studies should aim at identifying the right risk factors, depending of the country's prevalence of MRSA, to improve the ability to predict the risk of MRSA carriage at hospital admission.
authors.forename: Solange
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Wouters
authors.forename: Jérémy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daxhelet
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaminski
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thienpont
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cornu
authors.forename: Jean Cyr
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Yombi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*