Infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among hospital employees.

Objective: To describe the spectrum of clinical infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in healthcare workers.

Design: Case series.

Setting: Two Veterans Affairs hospitals in which methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) is endemic.

Patients: Five employees presenting to employee health or infectious disease clinic.

Results: All employees had had direct exposure to patients colonized with MRSA. Employee infections included cellulitis, impetigo, folliculitis, paronychia, and conjunctivitis. MRSA was isolated from all clinically infected sites and from the anterior nares of two employees. Three employees received a variety of ineffective oral antimicrobials before MRSA was recognized as the causative agent. All infections responded to appropriate therapy.

Conclusions: Employees of hospitals with endemic MRSA may acquire MRSA infection. Presentation in our employees was that of relatively uncomplicated soft tissue infection, but several employees received inappropriate therapy before bacteriologic diagnosis. We recommend that culture and susceptibility testing be obtained prior to institution of therapy when hospital employees present with soft tissue infection.