The spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a rural community: will it become a common microorganism colonizing among the general population?

At Fujiwara Memorial Hospital (FMH), a community hospital with 140 beds located near a large agricultural area in Akita prefecture, the annual number of patients colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been increasing in recent years. To elucidate the current status of MRSA spread, the frequency of its isolation among a total of 10598 bacteriological specimens obtained from patients treated at FMH between July 1989 and December 1994 was evaluated. The frequency increased from 3.8% in 1990 to 9.6% in 1994, and of all the patients colonized with MRSA, outpatients accounted for 4.5% in 1990 and 34.9% in 1994. These outpatients included patients from long-term care facilities, those cared for at home with chronic diseases, and those who had been hospitalized in tertiary general hospitals. This remarkable increase in the percentage of outpatients colonized with MRSA may suggest the spread of MRSA in our community.