[Long-term carrier state of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus after hospitalization].

In Denmark, strains of methicillin-resistant (MR) Staphylococcus aureus constitute less than 0.1% of all S. aureus isolates and are often acquired abroad. A strain of MR S. aureus phage type 77+ was isolated from a patient, who had been hospitalized in a Portuguese hospital three months earlier. In Denmark, the patient had been admitted to a private clinic for replacement of the aortic valve and a coronary bypass operation. The strain did not produce detectable soluble coagulase, and it was multiply resistant, including resistance to gentamicin, tetracycline, erythromycin, and rifampicin. It was probably non-invasive. Thirty-seven members of the staff were screened for MR S. aureus with negative results. The patient was treated with chlorhexidine to eliminate carriage, but, eight weeks after treatment, he was still colonized. Thus, in the current epidemiological situation in Denmark, it is important to take into consideration that carriage of MR S. aureus may last several months. We therefore suggest, that specific guidelines for hospital hygiene should be upheld not only for patients, who are transferred directly from hospitals in other countries, but also for patients, who have been hospitalized abroad within the last three to six months.