Possible implication of student nurses in the transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus during a nosocomial outbreak

We report an outbreak of infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a medical unit and the possible implication of student nurses in the dissemination of the epidemic strain. A retrospective epidemiological study looking for hospitalised patients colonised or infected with MRSA from the 1st of June to the 30th of September 2001 in the unit was conducted. An audit of delivered cares and a nasal screening of health care workers (HCW) was performed. Six patients were colonised or infected with a MRSA strain, four of them exhibiting a bacteremia. Six HCW had a nasal carriage of MRSA. Typing of the MRSA strains by pulsed field gel electrophoresis demonstrated an epidemic clone isolated from five of six patients, two student nurses and-one HCW not implicated in nursing cares. This report illustrates the risk of nosocomial outbreak linked to cares delivered by student nurses. (C) 2003 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier, SAS. Tous droits reserves.