Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus on the hands of health care workers: a route of transmission or a source?

We undertook a cross-sectional study of hand carriage and environmental contamination of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci on three wards of a single subspeciality surgical service. Sixteen hand cultures from 15 health care workers and 32 environmental cultures were obtained. Of 49 isolates, 35 (72%) were Staphylococcus haemolyticus. This species comprised 14 of the 16 (87%) hand isolates and 21 of the 32 (66%) environmental isolates. Using restriction length polymorphism of total DNA, we identified a single clone of S. haemolyticus on the hands of four health care workers and in the environment at seven locations on two wards. The widespread dissemination of a single clone suggests transmission of S. haemolyticus on the wards and prompts further prospective studies.