Nosocomial infections cause significant patient morbidity and mortality.
Staphylococcus aureus has long been recognized as an important pathogen in human disease and is the most common cause of nosocomial infections. To describe the epidemiology of S. aureus nosocomial infections that are attributable to patients' endogenous colonization. The ecologic niche of S. aureus is the anterior nares. The link between S. aureus nasal carriage and development of subsequent S. aureus infections has been established in patients on hemodialysis, on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, and those undergoing surgery. Among these strategies, locally applied or systemic antibiotics are most commonly used.