“We found that 72 (6%) of 1,674 PICU patients were colonized with MRSA.

MRSA-colonized patients were more likely to be younger (median age 3 years vs. 5 years; p = 0.02) and African American (p <0.001) and to have been hospitalized within 12 months (p <0.001) than were noncolonized patients.

MRSA isolates from 66 (92%) colonized patients were fingerprinted; 40 (61%) were genotypically Community Acquired -MRSA strains.

Community Acquired – MRSA strains were isolated from 50% of patients who became colonized with MRSA and caused the only hospital-acquired MRSA catheter-associated bloodstream infection in the cohort.

Epidemic Community Acquired – MRSA strains are becoming endemic to Pediatric ICUs, can be transmitted to hospitalized children, and can cause invasive hospital-acquired infections,” wrote A.M. Milstone and colleagues, Johns Hopkins University, Medical Department.

The researchers concluded: “Further appraisal of MRSA control is needed.”

Milstone and colleagues published their study in Emerging Infectious Diseases (Community-associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2010;16(4):647-655).

According to recent research from the United States, “Virulent community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus-aureus (CA-MRSA) strains have spread rapidly in the United States. To characterize the degree to which CA-MRSA strains are imported into and transmitted in pediatric intensive care units (PICU), we performed a retrospective study of children admitted to The Johns Hopkins Hospital PICU, March 1, 2007 May 31, 2008.”

For additional information, contact A.M. Milstone, Johns Hopkins University, School Medical, Dept. of Pediatrics Infectious Disease, 200 N Wolfe St., Rubenstein 3141, Baltimore, MD 21287, US

Medizone International, Inc. (Dually Traded: OTCBB/OTCQB: MZEI)
(http://medizoneint.com)

Medizone International, Inc. is a research and development company engaged in developing its AsepticSure™ System to decontaminate and sterilize hospitals, sports training facilities, schools and other critical infrastructure. A government variant is being developed for bio-terrorism counter measures. Successful decontamination by AsepticSure™ to the 6 log standard or greater has been demonstrated with C.difficile, E coli, Pseudomonas aeruginous, MRSA, VRE and Bacillius subtilis.

Lee Ann Torrans

ltorrans@gmail.com