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| Author | Ruth Vassallo |
| Abstract | MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and is a type of bacterium commonly found on the skin and/or noses of healthy people. Although usually harmless at these sites, it may occasionally get into the body and cause either mild or serious infection. MRSA has been recognised as a common nosocomial pathogen because of its resistance to the commonly used antibiotics and is rarely seen among the general public. It can spread between patients, usually by direct or indirect physical contact, in the absence of the necessary precautions, for example unwashed hands or gloves and for the purpose of this proposal contaminated stethoscopes. The stethoscope is a universal tool in the hospital that is in direct contact with many patients and can therefore be a vector in the dissemination of bacterial infections. MRSA incidence has increased dramatically in hospitals worldwide. No data was available on the prevalence of MRSA on stethoscope diaphragms in the general hospital prior to this study. In this study, groups of samples were taken randomly from 252 stethoscopes, employed by the medical personnel (all MD grades), from various sectors of the hospital (SLH / KGH) and included MDs visiting the medical wards, the surgical wards, the orthopaedic wards, the paediatric wards and the Casualty department (AT). Following a brief questionnaire, a swab from each stethoscope diaphragm was collected and cultured on oxacillin agar screen plates. Further bacterioscopic and biochemical assays on any growth, identified the various organisms present and the presence of MRSA was confirmed by the PBP2a agglutination test. The overall prevalence of MRSA on stethoscope diaphragms used by the medical personnel was found to be 5.1 % which is one of the lowest rates found worldwide. No statistical association was found between the gender, professional status, length of practice, medical specialty and cleaning of stethoscope diaphragm before or after and infection with this organism. |
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| Key words | Medical Laboratory Science, Thesis, Stethoscope Diaphragms, MRSA |