Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus SCCmec type IV: nosocomial transmission and colonisation of healthcare workers in a neonatal intensive care unit

Abstract

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of nosocomial infections worldwide.1 In Italy the overall prevalence during 2006 was 40%, with a significant difference between intensive care unit (ICU) (55%) and non-ICU (34%) wards.2 The increase in MRSA infections is associated with predisposing factors (hospitalisation, surgery, broad-spectrum antibiotics and indwelling medical devices). In the past decade MRSA has emerged in the community, causing invasive and fatal infections in healthy people without risk factors, and has become a challenging public-health problem.