Review of a major epidemic of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: The costs of screening and consequences of outbreak management

A van der Zee, WDH Hendriks, L Roorda, Tjaco Ossewaarde, J Buitenwerf

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Abstract

Background: A major outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) occurred in locations C and Z of our hospital and lasted for several years. It affected 1,230 patients and 153 personnel. Methods: Outbreak management was installed according to the Dutch "search and destroy" policy. A rapid, high-throughput method for molecular screening of potential MRSA carriers was implemented. Outbreak isolates were retrospectively genotyped by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Costs of molecular screening were compared with screening by culture. Results: Genotyping results revealed 4 distinct epidemic MRSA clones. Three were present in hospital C. Because of a merger of hospitals, these clones spread to hospital Z. Another clone of MRSA affected other health care-related institutions in the region. Because of the implementation of strict containment measures of the "search and destroy" policy, the annual number of tests decreased from 100,000 to 18,000. The disposables and reagents used in polymerase chain reaction technology are more e Conclusion: The implementation of a rapid, high-throughput molecular screening system greatly contributed to the effectiveness of strict containment measures of the "search and destroy" policy. The major epidemic clones of MRSA in the outbreak were eradicated by this strategy. Copyright (C) 2013 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Original languageUndefined/Unknown
Pages (from-to)204-209
Number of pages6
JournalAmerican Journal of Infection Control
Volume41
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Research programs

  • EMC MM-04-28-01

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