Study Finds Universal ‘Superbug’ Screening to be Effective
New findings of a four-year study claims that universal testing of hospital patients is the most effective way to halt outbreaks of “superbugs” such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
The study, recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, was conducted in three Chicago area hospitals that have an approximate 40,000 admissions annually.
Researchers found that by screening every individual patient, infection rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, were reduced by 70 percent.
"The program we began in August of 2005 had a major patient safety impact for all our patients and demonstrated that a comprehensive effort to reduce MRSA infection can be accomplished," Dr. Lance Peterson of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Illinois, who worked on the study, said in a statement.
During the first year of testing, the hospital did nothing to detect newly admitted patients who were colonized with MRSA. During this time, nine new infections were seen per 10,000 days of patient care.
In the second year, all admitted patients to only the intensive care units in the 3 hospitals were tested for MRSA. If a patient tested positive for MRSA, their doctors put them on contact precautions.
In the third year, they tested everyone who was admitted to the 3 hospitals and placed anyone who tested positive on contact precautions, according to the study. At this point, infections dropped to about four per 10,000 patient-days.
However, not all healthcare professionals are convinced of the efficacy of universal screening methods.
Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach, of the University of Pennsylvania, said that it is premature to recommend universal screening, noting that extensive use of an antibiotic ointment to treat MRSA carriers may promote additional drug resistance.
Another study in Geneva Switzerland found that universal screening did not halt infection, and noted that the method was too expensive.
Hospital patients are the most susceptible to MRSA infections, as their immune systems are weakened. At least 1.5 percent of Americans are infected.
While noting that universal screening was associated with a decrease in serious MRSA infections, researchers admit that further testing is necessary.
“It is too early to say that all hospitals should test newly admitted patients for MRSA, but this research should prompt hospitals to start thinking about it,” they wrote.
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Photo Caption: This 2005 scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted numerous clumps of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, commonly referred to by the acronym, MRSA; Magnified 4780x. (CDC)
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