Staphylococcus aureus Carriage and Health Care-acquired Infection.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common nosocomial pathogens. Its propensity to establish prolonged carriage among hospitalized patients and increasing resistance to antibiotics makes control of this organism within the hospital difficult. High-level vancomycin resistance has now been reported in a single clinical isolate of S. aureus, emphasizing the need to increase efforts to control nosocomial spread. Knowledge of the epidemiology of S. aureus colonization among patients has shed new light on the potential difficulties in interrupting nosocomial transmission. Effective control of S. aureus within the hospital and community will require more aggressive measures that include earlier diagnosis of colonized patients, better handwashing and barrier precaution measures, and renewed efforts to eradicate the carriage state.