ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The cases of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) infection after middle ear surgery, most of which are thought to be hospital acquired infection, are increasing recently in our hospital. MRSA infection is apt to be long lasting and to bring many complications because MRSA is resistant to aminoglycosides and cephalosporin as well as methicillin. There are many reports that medical personnel have a role to transmit that organisms to other patients. OBJECTIVES: To find and eradicate infection source and transmission route are both essential because medical personnel who contact MRSA infected patients can be a continuing transmission route. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bacterial cultures from the noses and hands of medical personnel working in the department of Otolaryngology of Korea University Hospital were done and ribotyping through Southern blot technique was used to compare and prove an identical strain of MRSA organism between medical personnel and patients. RESULTS: As a result of ribotyping with EcoRI and HindIII, one distinct subtype(type I) was identified to be shared between medical personnel and patients. Among 30 medical personnel, 10 were carriers of MRSA. Seven MRSA isolates from these 10 medical carriers and 18 from 30 isolates of otorrhea shared the same type I ribotype. CONCLUSION: This finding reveals that MRSA transmission could occur between medical personnel and patients. Medical personnel should be aware of their possible role as a relay-stay of transmission of pathogenic organisms and should give efforts to prevent it.