Nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among elderly living in nursing homes in Brazil: risk factors and molecular epidemiology.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus poses a threat to elderly living in nursing homes. Studies focusing on the epidemiology of colonization may help in the design of infection control strategies.

Objective: To identify factors associated with MRSA colonization and the dissemination of clones among nursing home residents.

Small hospitals matter: insights from the emergence and spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in 2 public hospitals in inner Brazil.

Although vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are reported in Brazil since 1996, data on their impact over settings of different complexity are scarce. We performed a study aimed at identifying determinants of VRE emergence and spread in a public hospital consortium (comprising 2 hospitals, with 318 and 57 beds) in inner Brazil. Molecular typing and case-control studies (addressing predictors of acquisition or clonality) were performed.