The prevalence of nasal carriage of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthcare workers in a non-acute healthcare facility
There is a lack of data available concerning the baseline prevalence of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Republic of Ireland. This anonymous prevalence study screened HCWs for nasal carriage of MRSA in a non-acute healthcare facility (HCF) in Dublin and the prevalence rate among these HCWs was calculated. Three hundred and four HCWs were invited to participate, with 112 (37%) consenting to take part in the study. Nasal swabs were analysed by culture method for MRSA with reference to Health Protection Agency guidelines. Meticillin resistant isolates were examined for presence of MecA gene by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The overall rate of nasal carriage MRSA was found to be 8.9% (10/112), of whom eight were nurses, one was medical staff and one was household/catering staff. High-level mupirocin resistance was detected in two of the isolates. This study confirms a significant prevalence of MRSA carriage among the cohort studied, particularly among frontline HCWs. This emphasises the need for strict adherence to infection control protocols to minimise healthcare associated MRSA infections among patients in non-acute healthcare facilities. The detection of high level mupirocin resistant MRSA has implications for MRSA decontamination protocols.