Occurrence of airborne methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in different hospital wards

Abstract

Airborne transmission is considered as a route for acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in hospital environments. Since, control and effective prevention of MRSA infections require a better knowledge of airborne bacteria. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of airborne MRSA in different wards of four hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Air samples were taken using an all-glass impinger (AGI) in four locations in each hospital. Detection of oxacillin resistant airborne bacteria was carried out using culture plates with and without antibiotics. Oxacillin resistant isolates were screened for the presence of mecA gene, a genetic element found in MRSA. Oxacillin-resistant bacteria with a range of 15-207 cfu/m3 had a high prevalence and formed about 30-34 of airborne bacteria. We found that about 63 of the oxacillin resistant isolates carried the mecA gene. The frequency of mecA gene in isolated oxacillin resistant bacteria from different hospital wards ranged between 9-26. Detection of the mecA gene in different wards with a relatively high frequency indicated potentially airborne transmission of MRS in hospital environments. The presence of these airborne bacteria could pose a considerable threat to human health especially for vulnerable groups of inpatients such as people with weakened immune systems. © 2019, Thai Society of Higher Eduation Institutes on Environment. All rights reserved.