Isolation and antimicrobial susceptibity of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) in the operating rooms at Osaka Dental University Hospital

Abstract

We investigated the prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) in operating rooms at Osaka Dental University Hospital in 1995 and compared the results with those obtained in 1993 and 1994. In 1995 we examined 112 operating room locations and tested the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates. MRS were isolated from 18 of the 112 locations in 1995, which represented a decrease over the previous three years. Seven of MRS strains tested had mannitol fermentation, while none had coagulase production. All strains tested were susceptible to vancomycin and chloramphenicol, and were classified according to their antibiotic sensitivity. Half of the strains tested were presumptively identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis. These results showed a decrease in MRS in operating rooms at Osaka Dental University Hospital annually for the three years, although methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis was still prevalent.