An Outbreak of Skin Infection due to Community Acquired-MRSA that Occurred among the Women Who Gave Birth in a Maternity Clinic and their Families

Abstract

We report an outbreak of skin infection due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), among the women who gave birth in a maternity clinic and their families. The number of patients who visited our clinic with deep infections of the skin, such as furuncle and carbuncle, suddenly increased in 2001. Many of the patients were epidemiologically linked to a maternity clinic, so we performed bacteriological examinations of isolated strains and investigated MRSA carriage in the staff and hospitalized patients at the maternity clinic. The results indicated an outbreak due to Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive CA-MRSA and the maternity clinic as the most likely source of infection. Although relatively fewer numbers of CA-MRSA outbreaks have been reported in Japan, we need to implement adequate hospital infection control to prevent the occurrence of this type of CA-MRSA outbreaks.