NASAL AND HAND CARRIAGE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS IN HEALTH-CARE WORKERS

Six double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled clinical trials in the United States have evaluated the elimination of Staphylococcus aureus carriage in healthcare workers with mupirocin ointment. Consistent da ta from the six centres demonstrated that calcium mupirocin ointment a dministered intranasally for five days is safe and effective in elimin ating nasal carriage of S. aureus. Hand cultures were also performed a t one centre, showing that hand carriage rates were significantly decr eased 72 hours post-therapy and at six months. Additionally, molecular typing of all isolates obtained from the nares and hands found identi cal strains at both sites in the majority of subjects, implicating the nares as the primary reservoir of S. aureus colonisation.