Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Japanese community hospital: 5-year experience

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is exceptionally critical to infection treatment and control in the health-care setting. MRSA has been detected at high levels in Japan, and the frequency of MRSA infection must be ascertained to provide a baseline with which to assess various infection control efforts. We studied MRSA infection rate at a general hospital in Japan in all 65,135 inpatients of Sendai Kousei Hospital from January 2004 to December 2008. MRSA’s prevalence among strains of S. aureus and the rate of MRSA detection were studied. Identification of MRSA infection is according to the laboratory-based ward liaison surveillance. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of vancomycin, teicoplanin, and arbekacin for the various isolates were determined. During the period studied, there were 621 MRSA-positive patients. MRSA prevalence among strains of S. aureus was 45.5% (621/1,365). The rate of MRSA detection in inpatients was 0.953/100 inpatients. Of the 621 patients from whom MRSA was isolated, 51 (8.2%) had an MRSA infection (MRSA infection rate 0.078/100 inpatients). MRSA was often detected from the respiratory tract, but this seldom led to infection, since many of those affected were merely carriers. MICs against MRSA was 0.5–4 μg/ml for vancomycin, 0.5–16 μg/ml for teicoplanin, and 0.5 to >16 μg/ml for arbekacin, with no tendency for tolerance observed for these drugs. Findings suggest that whereas MRSA remains prevalent, there is a low incidence of infection in a general hospital in Japan.