High rate of methicillin resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospitalized nursing home patients.

Three series of studies were conducted between 1984 and 1986 at two community hospitals in Chicago to determine the frequency of methicillin resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospitalized nursing home patients. Overall, 76 (49%) of 155 patients with S aureus clinical isolates admitted from 25 nursing homes had methicillin-resistant S aureus. In 1986, 53.1% of patients with S aureus infection or colonization among nursing home patients had the resistant strain, in contrast with 13.2% among patients from the community. A high incidence of methicillin-resistant S aureus infection or colonization is a clinical feature of nursing home patients. This observation may lead to an improvement in the clinical management of the patients suspected of having S aureus infection and alterations in the current policy of nursing homes that bar admission of patients carrying the resistant bacteria.