1376 Pvl-Producing Us 300 Mrsa Outbreak on a Paediatric Burns Unit

Abstract

The US 300 community-acquired MRSA strain remains relatively uncommon in Europe. We report on the successful management of an outbreak with such a strain on a paediatric Burns Unit affecting 3 patients, 2 staff members and 1 relative. The outbreak was identified when 1 staff member and 2 children managed as outpatients presented with cutaneous abscesses on the same day. Because of the distinctive clinical presentation, screening of all staff and current inpatients was immediately instigated (ahead of laboratory identification of the outbreak strain): 1/90 staff and 0/6 patients carried the outbreak strain. Environmental sampling (100 sites) was also undertaken: only the playroom was contaminated. Outpatients were screened only if symptomatic. One further outpatient and one family member of a case presented with cutaneous abscesses over the next 4 days. All isolates were confirmed to be a single PVL-producing strain by phage-typing and genotyping that was closely related to US 300. The following controls were put in place: Two months after the last case, no more colonised or infected patients have been identified. Early and vigorous infection control interventions appear to have contained a potentially serious outbreak.