Carriage of Staphylococcus haemolyticus among healthcare workers

• Published in: The Journal of hospital infection 1996-04, Vol.32 (4), p.320-321
• Main Authors: Verweij, P.E., de Pauw, B.E., Voss, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Axilla - microbiology; Bacteremia - transmission; Cross Infection - transmission; Disease Outbreaks; Hand - microbiology; Humans; Infection Control; Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient; Nasal Cavity - microbiology; Personnel, Hospital; Staphylococcal Infections - transmission; Staphylococcus haemolyticus
• ISSN: 0195-6701; 1532-2939
• DOI: 10.1016/S0195-6701(96)90043-2

At our 950-bed tertiary-care university hospital we have recently experienced an outbreak of blood-stream infections with S. haemolyticus which involved nine patients receiving treatment for haematological malignancies. Genotyping by random amplification of polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction of these isolates showed that among a total of five genotypes, the outbreak strain was present in four patients. At the time the outbreak of infection became apparent, we looked for permanently colonized healthcare workers. One hundred and twenty healthcare workers, including nurses, aides, physicians, trainees and ancillary personnel, were screened for the presence of S. haemolyticus. Each healthcare worker was cultured two or three times and specimens were obtained from hands, axilla and anterior nares. The overall prevalence of hand-carriage S. haemolyticus was low, even though the sampling took place during an outbreak of infection. The highest prevalence of S. haemolyticus carriage was found on the hands of the nurses. Five healthcare workers were found to be permanently colonized with S. haemolyticus, and decolonization was achieved by the application of mupirocin in the anterior nares and by frequent washing of the skin using chlorhexidine soap. The outbreak of S. haemolyticus infection was controlled by reinforcement of hand disinfection.