Staphylococcal nasal carriage and subsequent infection in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Thirty patients undergoing long-term home-based peritoneal dialysis were monitored for 13 months for carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in the nares and for the development of infectious complications. The patients could be divided into three groups with regard to S aureus carriage: chronic, intermittent, and noncarriers. Twenty-five episodes of peritonitis and 20 episodes of catheter exit-site infections occurred during 268 patient-months of observation. Staphylococcus aureus accounted for eight episodes of peritonitis and 12 episodes of exit-site infection. Chronic and intermittent carriers of S aureus were found to be at higher risk of development of infection than noncarriers.