Benefits and Drawbacks of Universal Surveillance of Methicillin-Resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>
Authors: Daniel Diekema
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2008)

Letters1 July 2008Benefits and Drawbacks of Universal Surveillance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureusDaniel Diekema, MDDaniel Diekema, MDFrom the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-1-200807010-00024 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I read with interest the ambitious and informative study by Robicsek and colleagues (1). The authors have clearly articulated the positive effect of their methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) control strategy, but they ignore the potential unintended consequences of this approach.First, the title of the study is misleading because this intervention involved much more than universal MRSA surveillance. A key component of their second intervention period was decolonization with mupirocin and chlorhexidine. Among several reasons that routine decolonization of asymptomatic MRSA carriers is not recommended, the emergence of mupirocin resistance is among the most important. A recent ...References1. Robicsek A, Beaumont JL, Paule SM, Hacek DM, Thomson RB, Kaul KL, et al. Universal surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in 3 affiliated hospitals. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:409-18. [PMID: 18347349] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Diep BA, Chambers HF, Graber CJ, Szumowski JD, Miller LG, Han LL, et al. Emergence of multidrug-resistant, community-associated, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone USA300 in men who have sex with men. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:249-57. [PMID: 18283202] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Diekema DJ, Edmond MB. Look before you leap: active surveillance for multidrug-resistant organisms. Clin Infect Dis. 2007;44:1101-7. [PMID: 17366459] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Stelfox HT, Bates DW, Redelmeier DA. Safety of patients isolated for infection control. JAMA. 2003;290:1899-905. [PMID: 14532319] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Edmond MB, Ober JF, Bearman G. Active surveillance cultures are not required to control methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the critical care setting. Am J Infect Control. 2008 [Forthcoming]. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEmergence of Multidrug-Resistant, Community-Associated, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clone USA300 in Men Who Have Sex with Men Binh An Diep , Henry F. Chambers , Christopher J. Graber , John D. Szumowski , Loren G. Miller , Linda L. Han , Jason H. Chen , Felice Lin , Jessica Lin , Tiffany HaiVan Phan , Heather A. Carleton , Linda K. McDougal , Fred C. Tenover , Daniel E. Cohen , Kenneth H. Mayer , George F. Sensabaugh , and Françoise Perdreau-Remington Universal Surveillance for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in 3 Affiliated Hospitals Ari Robicsek , Jennifer L. Beaumont , Suzanne M. Paule , Donna M. Hacek , Richard B. Thomson Jr. , Karen L. Kaul , Peggy King , and Lance R. Peterson Benefits and Drawbacks of Universal Surveillance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Rodney B. Nelson Benefits and Drawbacks of Universal Surveillance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Lance R. Peterson , Jennifer L. Beaumont , and Ari Robicsek Metrics 1 July 2008Volume 149, Issue 1Page: 67KeywordsCandidaConflicts of interestEscherichia coliHealth careKlebsiellaMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusNosocomial infectionsPathogensPseudomonasSafety ePublished: 1 July 2008 Issue Published: 1 July 2008 CopyrightCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...