Abstract
We executed a blanket-use program of intranasal application of mupirocin ointment to control the propagation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that occurred in a thoracic surgery ward of a university hospital. During an intervention of 14 weeks, all patients admitted to the ward for scheduled surgery received the ointment to their nares three times daily for 3 days before surgery, once on return to the ward, and three times weekly for the following 2 weeks. None of 84 patients was newly colonized with MRSA, and the daily rates of patients with MRSA in a recovery room in the ward significantly decreased in the period. We consider that the unselective application of mupirocin ointment is one of the effective measures to control MRSA propagation in a thoracic surgery unit.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AJ Mangram TC Horan ML Pearson LC Silver WR Jarvis (1999) ArticleTitleGuideline for prevention of surgical site infection, 1999 Am J Infect Control 27 97–132 Occurrence Handle10196487
FD Lowy (1998) ArticleTitleStaphylococcus aureus infections N Engl J Med 339 520–32 Occurrence Handle10.1056/NEJM199808203390806 Occurrence Handle9709046
JF John Barg NL (1999) Staphylococcus aureus CG Mayhall (Eds) Hospital epidemiology and infection control EditionNumber2nd ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Philadelphia 325–645
JAJW Kluytmans JW Mouton EPF Ijzerman CMJE Vandenbroucke-Grauls AWPM Maat JHTW Wagenvoort et al. (1995) ArticleTitleNasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus as a major risk factor for wound infections after cardiac surgery J Infect Dis 171 216–9 Occurrence Handle7798667
C von Eiff K Becker K Machka H Stammer G Peters (2001) ArticleTitleNasal carriage as a source of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia N Engl J Med 344 11–6 Occurrence Handle10.1056/NEJM200101043440102 Occurrence Handle11136954
IRB Hudson (1994) ArticleTitleThe efficacy of intranasal mupirocin in the prevention of staphylococcal infections: a review of recent experience J Hosp Infect 27 81–98 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0195-6701(94)90001-9 Occurrence Handle7930545
S Hitomi M Kubota N Mori H Yano K Okuzumi S Kimura et al. (2000) ArticleTitleControl of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit by unselective use of nasal mupirocin ointment J Hosp Infect 46 123–9 Occurrence Handle10.1053/jhin.2000.0786 Occurrence Handle11049705
H Amano J Ohama K Suda M Hori (1999) ArticleTitleManagement of an outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an emergency ward with blanket use of intranasal mupirocin and long-term prophylaxis (in Japanese) Jpn J Chemother 47 558–65
JAJW Kluytmans JW Mouton MFQ VandenBergh M-JAAJ Manders APWM Maat JHT Wagenvoort et al. (1996) ArticleTitleReduction of surgical-site infections in cardiothoracic surgery by elimination of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 17 780–5 Occurrence Handle8985763
H Watanabe H Masaki N Asoh K Watanabe K Oishi A Furumoto et al. (2001) ArticleTitleEmergence and spread of low-level mupirocin resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolate from a community hospital in Japan J Hosp Infect 47 294–300 Occurrence Handle10.1053/jhin.2000.0931 Occurrence Handle11289773
K Kikuchi (2001) ArticleTitleMupirocin resistant MRSA in Japan (in Japanese) Nippon Rinsho 59 724–7
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Mori, N., Hitomi, S., Nakajima, J. et al. Unselective use of intranasal mupirocin ointment for controlling propagation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a thoracic surgery ward. J Infect Chemother 11, 231–233 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-005-0396-9
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-005-0396-9