Effect of Mupirocin Treatment in Eradication of Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage among Intensive Care Unit Personnel

ABSTRACT        Background and Objective: Staphylococcus aureus is the most common and important infectious agent. This bacterium can enter the bloodstream and cause some complications in the intensive care unit (ICU).This organism can frequently be found in the nose and transmitted by the carriers. This study aimed to determine the efficiency of eradicating S. aureus from the nose of ICU personnel in reducing the risk of S. aureus infections in the Panje Azar Hospital in Gorgan, Iran.         Methods: Sampling was done using sterile swabs collected from the anterior nasal passages.All samples containing Gram-positive cocci were sent to the laboratory of Faculty of Medicine for identification and evaluation of methicillin resistance. All S. aureus nasal carriers were treated with mupirocin ointment b.d for 5 days. The Samples were cultured again after five weeks to evaluate the eradication of S. auerus from the nose of subjects.        Results: Overall, seven ICU personnel (11.7%) were S. aureus carriers. Two isolates (3.3%) were found as methicillin resistant using both methods of disc diffusion and PCR. The frequency distribution of positive cases indicated a significant difference in terms of work experience (P = 0.012).         Conclusion: The findings show that treatment of carriers with 2% mupirocin topical ointment eradicates S. aureus from the nose. No S. aureus isolates was found in reculture of nasal samples. Treatment of healthy carriers can significantly reduce the risk of infections caused by the bacterium in the ICU.