Common source of staphylococcus in hospital is

Staphylococci are primary parasites of human beings and animals, colonizing the skin, skin glands, and mucous membranes. The most common source of infection in human patients and carriers, animals and inanimate objects being less impoant. Patients with superficial infections and respiratory infection disseminate large numbers of staphylococci into the environment. About 10-30 percent of healthy persons carry staphylococci in the nose and about 10 percent in the perineum and also on the hair. The vaginal carriage is about 5-10 percent. Staphylococcal carriage stas early in life, colonization of the umbilical stump being very common in babies born in hospitals. Some carriers called 'shedders', disseminate very large number of cocci for prolonged periods. The cocci shed by patients and carriers contaminate fomites such as handkerchiefs, bed linen and blankets and may persist on them for days or weeks. Healthcare-associated infections by staphylococci deserve special attention because of frequency and because they are caused by strains resistant to various antibiotics. Epidemic methicillin-resistant S.aureus strains, also called EMRSA, get easily disseminated in a hospital environment and are responsible for post-operative wound infections and other cross infections in the hospital. They are multidrug-resistant most of the time. HA-MRSA (hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and CA-MRSA(community acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are a public health concern now as the division between the two is getting blurred and both the types are circulating in the community as well as hospital. Ref: Textbook of Microbiology; Ananthanarayan and Paniker's; 10th Edition; Page No: 205