MRSA: the transmission paradigm investigated

Methods A prospective 1 year study was conducted within the ICU of two UK hospitals. Conventional sampling techniques were used to recover MRSA from the air and from high contact sites located within the ward environment. All patients were screened for MRSA on admission and weekly during their stays. Samples from other sites were cultured when clinically indicated. MRSA was considered nosocomially acquired if detected more than 48 h after admission. Possible transmission routes from donor to recipient via the hands of staff, the air or environmental surfaces were identified. Focused molecular typing via PFGE was used to explore these pathway hypotheses.