Gastrointestinal Colonization by Staphylococcus aureus in Patients Hospitalized in the Intensive Care Units of the Autonomous Service at the Maracaibo University Hospital (SAHUM)

Abstract

With the purpose of detecting gastrointestinal colonization by S. aureus and evaluating the associated risk factors (age, gender, origin of the patient, prior hospitalization, use of antibiotic therapy, corticosteroids or previous immunotherapy, motive and origin of hospitalization), 50 rectal swabs from patients in the intensive care unit of the Autonomous Service at the Maracaibo University Hospital were processed over a three-month period. Bacterial isolation and identification was per formed following conventional methodology. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were carried out according to the Kirby-Bauer method. Of the total processed samples (n=50), 12 (24%) were positive for S. aureus and 7 (14%) for MRSA; 75% of the strains showed multi-resistance to antibiotics. No association between risk factors and the patients who introduced S. aureus into the hospital ICU was identi fied; however, association was found between the type of ICU and prior hospitalization for MRSA. One of the patients showed gastrointestinal co-colonization by vancomycin-resistant enterococci. In conclusion, the results suggest that gastrointestinal colonization by S. aureus and/or MRSA in ICU patients represents a reservoir of multi-resistant strains that can lead to future infections of an exogenous or endogenous origin.

Keywords

• S. aureus, S. aureus meticilino resistente, hisopados rectales, unidadde cuidados intensivos, factores de riesgo