Healthcare Hygiene magazine December 2019 | Page 6

h ealthcarehygienemagazine from the editor The Homefront is Equally Important in the Fight Against Drug-Resistant Staph N ew research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases sheds light on how methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is introduced into households and spread among family members, reminding us that we must stay vigilant against pathogenic bacteria at home as well as in the healthcare setting. Understanding MRSA’s transmission dynamics is critical to devising effective preventive tactics, and being aware that resistant bacteria can be carried from the home to the healthcare institution can help keep patients safe from community-acquired infections. “The household environment plays a key role in the transmission of MRSA in the community setting,” says senior author Stephanie A. Fritz, MD. “This suggests that aggressive attempts to rid MRSA from household surfaces may significantly lower the number of MRSA infections we’re seeing now. It wasn’t just one patient who would get a staph infection but multiple members of a family. Within a year, we’d see many patients return with recurring infec- tions. We felt it was necessary to focus on the specific role that household environments play in MRSA acquisition and transmission.” The study focused on the households of 150 otherwise healthy children with a median age of 3 years old. The children had been treated for staph infections at hospitals and pediatric practices from 2012 through 2015. Also enrolled were nearly all the kids’ family members (692 people, and 154 cats and dogs). Researchers visited each home five times during a one-year period to obtain swab samples from people’s nostrils, armpits and groins. As for the pets, the researchers collected samples from inside the nose and along the animals’ backs, the main petting zone. They found MRSA on nearly half of the people and on one-third of the pets at least once over the year. Additionally, researchers tested for staph on 21 household surfaces such as refrigerator door handles, sink faucets, bathroom countertops, bed sheets, bath towels, light switches, telephones, television and videogame controllers, and computer keyboards and mice. A molecular analysis of each staph sample — 3,819 in all — served as a bacterial fingerprint, allowing the researchers to pinpoint exact transmission dynamics of specific strains. “Previous studies have not distinguished between staph strains,” Fritz says. “By parsing it out, we were able to determine different risk factors for how the staph germ gets into the house and then, once there, how it is spread. The prevailing wisdom is that staph is transmitted from person to person, and that is often true. But our study shows that the household environment also serves as a key reservoir for ongoing staph transmission. In fact, there were instances in which the environment was the only potential source for transmission.” Until next month, bust those bugs! Kelly M. Pyrek Editor & Publisher [email protected] 6 Kelly M. Pyrek editor & publisher [email protected] A.G. Hettinger president & CFO Patti Valdez art director Mary Johnson sales and marketing specialist [email protected] Eileen Williams sales and marketing specialist [email protected] Linda Lybert business development consultant J. Christine Phillips customer service manager Send inquiries to: [email protected] Healthcare Hygiene magazine is published monthly by Keystone Media Inc. 8925 Ridgeline Boulevard, suite 106, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. Free digital subscriptions available at www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com for U.S., Canada and other foreign subscribers. Copyright © 2019 Keystone Media Inc. All rights reserved. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorial material. Advertisers, and/or their agents, assume the responsibility for all content of published advertisements and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the advertisement. Editorial contributors assume responsibility for their published works and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the published work. All items submitted to Healthcare Hygiene magazine become the sole property of Keystone Media Inc. Editorial content may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. december 2019 • www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com