Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Elective Surgical Patients at a Public Teaching Hospital: An Analysis of 1039 Patients

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an increasingly common cause of postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs). It is unclear, however, whether asymptomatic colonization or nosocomial acquisition of MRSA results in postoperative SSI. We conducted a retrospective review of patients screened for MRSA between May 2008 and October 2010 at our institution. End points included rates of MRSA infection, SSI, and the cost of routine MRSA screening of patients undergoing elective surgery. Of the 1039 patients screened preoperatively, 48 (4.6%) tested positive for MRSA by nasal or oral swab, whereas 991 (95.4%) tested negative. Forty-five (93.8%) MRSA-positive patients received vancomycin or linezolid and three (6.25%) received cefazolin peri-operatively. Three (6.25%) MRSA-positive patients developed postoperative SSIs. Two required rehospitalization for intravenous antimicrobials, whereas a third patient required removal of infected abdominal mesh. Twenty (2.02%) MRSA-negative patients and four (5.26%) unscreened patients developed non-MRSA SSIs. Regardless of MRSA status, none of 609 patients who had a laparoscopic procedure or inguinal hernia repair developed SSI. Twenty-two patients needed to be screened to obtain one positive test. The role of MRSA screening and longer perioperative coverage for MRSA-positive patients undergoing complex elective procedures remains to be determined.

Antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities of thiazolidione derivatives against clinical staphylococcus strains

“…Most stains of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis that cause nosocomial infections are antibiotic-resistant. 1 , 2 Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has emerged as a cause of potentially lethal infections, and it can increase morbidity, length of hospital stay and hospital costs. 3 , 4 Moreover, the number of multidrug-resistant MRSA and methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) strains that exhibit resistance to antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides, macrolides and lincosamides, has been on the rise.…”

Characterization of host response, resorption, and strength properties, and performance in the presence of bacteria for fully absorbable biomaterials for soft tissue repair

“…Staphylococcus aureus (SA) represents the most common cause of surgical site infection and can also become a major cause of infection within the bloodstream [ 15 ]. Manunga et al describe that of 1039 elective surgical patients, 48 (4.6%) tested positive for MRSA (by nasal or oral swab) prior to surgical procedures, of which 3 (6.25%) developed postoperative surgical site infections despite aggressive antibiotic treatment [ 16 ]. MRSA represents a particularly virulent drug-resistant form of Staphylococcus aureus , able to secrete a complex extracellular matrix biofilm, resulting in an extremely difficult pathogen to eradicate from prosthetic devices [ 17 ].…”

Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of hexadentated macrocyclic complex of copper (II) derived from thiosemicarbazide against Staphylococcus aureus

“…The ability of the bacterial pathogens to develop resistance against major classes of antibiotics has placed human and animal life at risk. S. aureus is one such pathogen, which infects broad host range and causes mild to chronic infections 13 , 32 – 34 . The additional worrisome factor associated with S. aureus infection is their ability to form a biofilm, which makes them highly resistant to antimicrobials and host attack 3 , 13 , 35 , 36 .…”