Occurrence of Skin and Environmental Contamination with Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus before Results of Polymerase Chain Reaction at Hospital Admission Become Available
Chang S et al. – Before any contact precautions can be implemented, newly identified MRSA carriers frequently have contaminated their environment with MRSA and have contamination of commonly examined skin sites. In hospitals that perform active surveillance, strategies are needed to minimize delays in screening or to preemptively identify patients at high risk for disseminating MRSA
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Multihospital Outbreak of Clostridium difficile Infection, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Jump RLP et al. – To determine whether a multihospital Clostridium difficile outbreak was associated with epidemic strains and whether use of particular fluoroquinolones was associated with increased infection rates, the authors cultured feces from C. difficile–infected patients. Use of fluoroquionolones with enhanced antianaerobic activity was not associated with increased infection rates. read more
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage and Risk Factors for Skin Infections, Southwestern Alaska, USA
Stevens AM et al. – Skin infections were more likely to develop in MRSA carriers than in methicillin–susceptible S. aureus carriers or noncarriers of S. aureus during the first follow–up year, but not in subsequent years. Repeated skin infections were more common among MRSA carriers. In an area where PVL–containing MRSA is prevalent, skin infection risk was increased among MRSA nasal carriers compared with methicillin–susceptible S. aureus carriers and noncarriers, but risk differential diminished over time. read more
Evaluation of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification Codes for Reporting Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections at a Hospital in Illinois
Schaefer MK et al. – Code combinations were better at revealing CO–MRSA infections than HO–MRSA infections. These limitations could compromise the validity of ICD–9–CM codes for interfacility comparisons and for reporting of healthcare–associated MRSA infections.
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Candida Infections of the Genitourinary Tract
Achkar JM et al. – Despite its high incidence and clinical relevance, genitourinary candidiasis is understudied, and therefore, important questions about pathogenesis and treatment guidelines remain to be resolved. In this review, the authors summarize the current knowledge about genitourinary candidiasis. read more
