Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii in a long-term acute care facility

BackgroundPatients in long-term acute care (LTAC) facilities often have many known risk factors for acquisition of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, the prevalence of resistance in these facilities has not been well described.MethodsWe performed a single-day, point-prevalence study of a 180-bed, university-affiliated LTAC facility in Baltimore to assess the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Acinetobacter baumannii in the anterior nares, perirectal area, sputum, and wounds.ResultsAmong the 147 patients evaluated, we found a high prevalence of colonization by both MRSA (28%) and A baumannii (30%). Of the A baumannii isolates, 90% were susceptible to imipenem and 92% were susceptible to ampicillin-sulbactam. No isolates were resistant to both imipenem and ampicillin-sulbactam.ConclusionThe high prevalence of resistance found in this study supports the need for increased surveillance of patients in the LTAC environment. The fact that these patients are often frequently transferred to tertiary care facilities also supports the need for coordination and collaboration among facilities within the same health care system and the broader geographic area.