Identification and characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. isolated from surfaces near patients in an intensive care unit of a hospital in southeastern Brazil

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Luciano Freitas Fernandes, Geziella Áurea Aparecida Damasceno Souza, Anna Christina de Almeida, Léia Cardoso, Mauro Aparecido de Sousa Xavier, Talles Patrick Prates Pinheiro, Guilherme Henrique Santos da Cruz, Hellen Fonseca Silva Dourado, Wender Soares Silva, Alessandra Rejane Ericsson de Oliveira Xavier
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2020
• Subjects: Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus; Equipment contamination; Methicillin resistance; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0244-2020; https://doaj.org/article/d2a7bda9b59d42a19f0ceb38a0c999a4

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Contaminated hospital environments contribute to the transmission of microorganisms associated with healthcare. Contaminated surfaces handled by patients or healthcare professionals are a source of microorganism transmission by hand. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus bacteria are among the main agents responsible for increasing healthcare-associated infections in Brazil and worldwide. METHODS: The objective of this study was to screen and characterize methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. on surfaces near patients in an intensive care unit. Microbiological samples, collected from ten beds in an intensive care unit with five sampling sites, were inoculated into a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus chromogenic medium. MALDI-TOF and PCR analyses were used to identify the bacteria. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion test. The presence of the mecA gene was investigated using PCR. RESULTS: We observed that 44 out of the 50 sampling sites presented grown isolates in the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus medium. The incidence of isolated microorganisms on the right side rail, left side rail, tables, infusion pump keypad, and cardiac monitor were 18.8 %, 36.7 %, 10.9 %, 2.4 %, and 31 %, respectively. The 42 isolates included in this study were identified as coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. All of these microorganisms were multidrug-resistant and mecA gene-positive. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified the presence of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus on the beds of an intensive care unit, providing evidence for the necessity of assertive actions to decrease the risk of healthcare-associated infections at the site.