Risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage in residents of German nursing homes. Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America. [Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol] Journal article

Title	Risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage in residents of German nursing homes.
Author(s)	von Baum H, Schmidt C, Svoboda D, Bock-Hensley O, Wendt C
Institution	Hygiene-Institut, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Source	Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002 Sep; 23(9):511-5.
MeSH	Aged Aged, 80 and over Bacterial Proteins Carrier Proteins Carrier State Cross Infection DNA, Bacterial Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field Female Germany Health Facility Size Hexosyltransferases Homes for the Aged Humans Infection Control Male Methicillin Resistance Multivariate Analysis Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase Nursing Homes Penicillin-Binding Proteins Peptidyl Transferases Polymerase Chain Reaction Population Surveillance Prevalence Risk Factors Staphylococcal Infections Staphylococcus aureus
Abstract	OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of and the risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage in nursing home residents in the Rhine-Neckar region of southern Germany. DESIGN: Point-prevalence survey. SETTING: Forty-seven nursing homes in the region. PARTICIPANTS: All residents of the approached nursing homes who agreed to participate. METHODS: After informed consent was obtained, all participants had their nares swabbed, some personal data collected, or both. All swabs were examined for growth of MRSA. All S. aureus isolates underwent oxacillin susceptibility testing and polymerase chain reaction for demonstration of the mecA gene. All MRSA isolates were typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after digestion with SmaI. RESULTS: Swabs from 3,236 nursing home residents yielded 36 MRSA strains, contributing to a prevalence rate of 1.1%. Significant risk factors for MRSA carriage in the multivariate analysis were the presence of wounds or urinary catheters, limited mobility, admission to a hospital during the preceding 3 months, or stay in a medium-size nursing home. One predominant MRSA strain could be detected in 30 of the 36 MRSA carriers. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of MRSA in German nursing homes is still low. These residents seemed to acquire their MRSA in the hospital and transfer it to their nursing home. Apart from well-known risk factors for the acquisition of MRSA, we identified the size of the nursing home as an independent risk factor. This might be due to an increased use of and microbials in nursing homes of a certain size.
Language	eng
Pub Type(s)	Journal Article
PubMed ID	12269448

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