Vol.97 No.5 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 97 No. 5 May 2004
Ear Diseases with Isolates of Methicillin Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) from Otorrhea in a
Private ENT Clinic
Yasuo Mori
(Shida ENT Clinic of Mori)
In a recent report, I emphasized that nosocomial MRSA should be reduced to a minimum in order to prevent it from becoming the source of nosocomial or/and inter-hospital epidemics.
A bacteriological study in 1998 revealed that 17 isolates of MRSA accounted for 4.4％ of all 386 isolates from otorrhea. As MRSA infections have become more widespread in Japan, culture and sensitivity testing at the initial visit is essential as a guide to proper therapy for the early diagnosis and treatment of MRSA infections.
In this study I examined 16 otologic patients with MRSA infections: 8 males and 8 females. They ranged in age from one month to 78 years.
The sites of major lesions detected under microscopic examination were the external ear in 9 cases, the tympanic membrane in 4 cases, and the middle-ear in 3 cases.
Other bacteria coexisted in 3 cases, and 2 patients suffered recurrence of MRSA infections.
Among the 16 patients with ear diseases caused by MRSA, 4 patients (25％) were not found to have nosocomial infection of MRSA in my clinic but rather nosocomial acquisition. In the other 12 patients (75％), including six with inter-hospital infections, MRSA was detected at their initial visit.
All cases were successfully controlled by means of early diagnosis, appropriate local-treatment, and suitable use of an antimicrobial drug (MINO).
Key words : MRSA, nosocomial infection, nosocomial acquisition, inter-hospital infection, MINO