Chlorhexidine whole-body washing of patients reduces methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and has a direct effect on the distribution of the ST5-MRSA-II (New York/Japan) clone

Abstract Purpose. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonizes the skin of hospitalized patients and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. To prevent colonization and infection by S. aureus, better disinfection practices are required. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of chlorhexidine whole-body washing on hospital-acquired S. aureus infections among intensive care unit (ICU) patients in a tertiary hospital in Mexico. Methodology. The study was conducted over 18 months to evaluate the effect of 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CXG) wholebody washing of ICU adult patients on chlorhexidine and antibiotic resistance, biofilm production and clonal distribution of S. aureus in a tertiary care hospital. Minimum inhibitory concentrations for CXG, antibiotic susceptibility and biofilm production by S. aureus isolates were determined. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and PCR for Panton–Valentine leucocidin (PVL) were used for molecular typing of MRSA isolates. Results/Keyfindings. We included 158 isolates. A reduction in antibiotic resistance in the study period was observed for clindamycin, levofloxacin, norfloxacin, oxacillin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. None of the isolates showed reduced susceptibility to CXG. Most of the isolates were non-biofilm producers (147/158). The most commonly identified clone was a descendant of the ST5-MRSA-II (New York/Japan) clone. This clone decreased during the intervention period and reappeared markedly in the post-intervention period. During the post-intervention period, two isolates were related with the clone ST8-MRSA-IV (also known as USA300). Conclusion. Our findings suggest that the CXG bathing favored the reduction of healthcare-associated MRSA isolates and a temporary reduction of the predominant ST5-MRSA-II (New York/Japan) clone

Surgimiento y diseminación de Staphylococcus aureus meticilinorresistente Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistant: emergence and dissemination

Las infecciones nosocomiales ocasionadas por cepas de Staphylococcus aureus meticilinorresistentes (SAMR) son un problema de salud importante en todo el mundo. Este microorganismo produce una gran variedad de infecciones incluyendo osteomielitis, endocarditis invasora, artritis séptica y septicemia. La multirresistencia es un factor que influye en la persistencia de los SAMR dentro del ámbito hospitalario. La introducción de técnicas de tipificación molecular dentro de las investigaciones epidemiológicas ha provisto nuevas herramientas para conocer el origen y las vías de diseminación de este microorganismo. Una de las conclusiones importantes que han surgido de este tipo de estudios es que un número pequeño de clonas son las responsables de las infecciones estafilocócicas en todo el mundo.Nosocomial infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important health problem worldwide. This microorganism causes a variety of clinical infections, including osteomyelitis, invasive endocarditis, septic arthritis and septicemia. Antimicrobial resistance is a factor that influences the persistence of MRSA in the hospital environment. The introduction of molecular typing techniques in epidemiological investigations has provided new tools for identifying the microorganism's origin and routes of dissemination. One of the most important conclusions that have resulted from these types of studies is that a small number of clones are responsible for most of the staphylococcal infections throughout the world