[Two hospital staff with throat carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which had to be treated with systemic antibiotics]

Abstract

Two hospital staff, women aged 20 and 22 years, were inadvertently found to be positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Both had been in a hospital outside of the Netherlands, but due to the long period of time that had elapsed since then, they did not fall under the standard protocol for MRSA screening. After the usual wash procedure with chlorhexidine and mupirocin nasal ointment treatment, they remained positive for MRSA in the throat culture. Both patients still had their pharyngeal tonsils and were suffering from throat complaints. After systemic treatment with two antibiotics, they both became MRSA-free. Throat carriership of MRSA might be a reason why MRSA eradication fails in the case of apparently healthy healthcare workers. The addition of a throat culture to the screening of healthcare workers would therefore be useful.