Quarterly infection report
January 2021 to March 2021:
- Number of new cases of health-care associated infection = 0
- Number of patient days = 10,125
- Infection Rate = 0/10,125 x 1,000 = 0.00
What is MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria. MRSA is resistant to certain or all types of the beta-lactam classes of antibiotics. This includes penicillins, penicillinase-resistant penicillins (e.g., cloxacillin) and cephalosporins.
MRSA are strains of S. aureus that have an MIC to oxacillin of ≥ 4 mcg/ml or contain the mecA gene coding for penicillin binding protein 2a (PBP 2a).
How and where is MRSA transmitted
MRSA is often hospital-acquired. This means patients contract MRSA after being admitted into the hospital. Symptoms may begin 72 hours later.
MRSA is most often transmitted through the hands of health care workers in hospitals. These health care workers acquire it from contact with colonized or infected patients. This can also happen from contact after handling contaminated material or equipment.
Children can also get MRSA from their mother's breast milk.
Risk factors for MRSA
Risk factors for getting MRSA include:
- Invasive procedures.
- Prior treatment with antibiotics.
- Prolonged hospital stay.
- Stay in an intensive care or burn unit.
- Surgical wound infection.
- Close proximity to a colonized person.
MRSA rate calculation
The method of calculation of the MRSA bacteraemia infection rate for the reporting period (on a quarterly basis) is:
Number of nosocomial patients with laboratory identification of MRSA bacteraemia / total number of patient days x 1000
Where the numerator is the total number of newly identified cases for MRSA bacteraemia associated with the reporting facility, for the reporting period. The denominator is the total number of inpatient days for the reporting period. There are no exclusion criteria.