Isolation of MRSA from inpatients, staff and environment in the hospital]

The state of MRSA contamination of inpatients, hospital staff, and the hospital environment was evaluated. Nasal, pharyngeal, and digital samples from 182 patients admitted in September and October, 1990, and 288 hospital staff members and sputum, urine, and feces of the inpatients were cultured. Environmental contamination was examined in samples collected from the air by air sampling and from the floor by the wiping method. The MIC and the coagulase type of the MRSA obtained were determined, and their relationships were evaluated. MRSA was detected in 9.5% of nasal samples, 7% of pharyngeal samples, 10% of sputum samples, 0% of urine samples, and 2.6% of fecal samples from the 182 inpatients. It was detected in 4% of nasal samples, 0.7% of pharyngeal samples, and 1% of digital samples from the 288 hospital staff members. From the environment, MRSA was detected from hospital rooms of the surgery and neurosurgery wards, the nursing room and corridors of the obstetrics and gynecology ward, and the recovery room of the urology ward. The coagulase type of the MRSA obtained was the primarily type II regardless or whether the samples were obtained from the subjects or the environment. Concerning the drug sensitivity, many MRSA strains were highly resistant to DMPPC and FOM, but the sensitivity to RFP was 0.1 microgram/ml or less in all strains except for one highly resistant strain (200 micrograms/ml or above).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)