[Carrier state and comparative study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from the staff and patients].

The nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in 529 staff was screened. S. aureus from staff and patients whose minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of methicillin was larger than 12.5 micrograms/ml by agar dilution was defined as Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Coagulase typing was performed by DENKA SEIKEN kit. Hands of ward staff were screened before and after contact with the MRSA carriers and after hand washing. The nasal acquisition rate of S. aureus and MRSA for staff was 27.6% and 8.5%. The rate of ward staff for nasal carriers of MRSA was 91.1%. Coagulase type II strains from ward staff and inpatients were dominant. In some cases MRSA was detectable after hand washing: In MRSA infection ward staff played a dangerous role as a vector.