The influence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriers in a nursery and transmission of MRSA to their households

We examined two persistent MRSA-carrier nurses in a maternity hospital to e lucidate the transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (M RSA) from healthcare providers to newborn infants and to the nurses' own fa milies. Genotyping of the MRSA strains was performed by analyzing genomic D NA restriction length polymorphisms from pulsed-field gel electrophoresis ( PFGE-RFLPs). The children of these nurses were carrying genotypically ident ical MRSA strains as their mother. Both MRSA carrier families remained asym ptomatic over a two-year follow-up period. Eradication of nasal MRSA carria ge from the two nurses resulted in declining MRSA carriage rates among infa nts in the nursery. Healthcare providers may become transient or persistent MRSA carriers whilst working in hospitals in which MRSA is endemic. They m ay then become a source of infection for patients as well as the:ir own fam ilies. We recommend that healthcare providers should be examined for MRSA i f an MRSA epidemic occurs in a hospital. The families of any such carriers should also be examined for MRSA.