Infection control or formulary control: what is the best tool to reduce nosocomial infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus? Diseases Society of America

摘要

The burden of infectious disease due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has increased since MRSA was first implicated as a nosocomial pathogen 4 decades ago [1, 2]. Data from the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program estimate that ~40% of S. aureus isolates recovered in intensive care units (ICUs) have been resistant to methicillin . Risk factors for nosocomial infection with MRSA include exposure to antimicrobials and cross-colonization by health care workers from colonized or infected patients or from the contaminated inanimate environment (e.g., in ICUs or burn units) [3, 4]. Control of MRSA within hospitals generally relies on proper infection-control practice, as reflected by the statement that "the rate of MRSA transmission in a hospital reflects the effectiveness of infection control practices in that facility".