Staphylococcus aureus outbreak in the intensive care unit of the largest public hospital in Quito, Ecuador Authors Paul A. Cardenas Institute of Microbiology, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of San Francisco de Quito, Quito Marta Alarcón Carlos Andrade Marín Hospital, Quito Inés Narvaez Carlos Andrade Marín Hospital, Quito Ramiro Salazar Carlos Andrade Marín Hospital, Quito Guillermo Falconí Carlos Andrade Marín Hospital, Quito Mauricio Espinel Institute of Microbiology, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of San Francisco de Quito, Quito Gabriel Trueba College of Biological and Environmental Sciences Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, staphylococal pneumonia, nosocomial outbreaks, MRSA Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent cause of nosocomial pneumonia and bacteremia worldwide. Classical and molecular epidemiology approaches were used to study a S. aureus outbreak in the intensive care unit (ICU) of one of the largest public hospitals in Quito. Staphylococcus aureus isolates from 17 patients and 19 potential carriers from the staff were collected from March 2007 to February 2008 and analyzed by pulsed-fi eld gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to determine their clonal relationships. During this period the hospital reported 16 cases of hospital-acquired staphylococcal pneumonia and an apparent outbreak occurred from June to September 2007. DNA from these isolates formed six different PFGE patterns: four clonal groups, and two groups of clonally related isolates. Molecular typing failed to identify any staphylococcal reservoir among staff members. The current study suggested that a staphylococcal outbreak that occurred in the summer of 2007 was caused by different bacterial clones, although some clones were shared by two patients. Historical analysis of the staphylococcal infections in the ICU showed a higher incidence during the summer months, which coincided with the programmed personnel shift. This observation suggests that outbreaks might be produced by the introduction of improperly trained personnel. [Int Microbiol 2013; 16(2):81-86]Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; staphylococal pneumonia; nosocomial outbreaks; MRSA Downloads PDF Issue Vol. 16 No. 2 (2013) Section Research Articles License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
