MRSA carriage among healthcare workers in a Vietnamese intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study

Thuy B. Duong; Minh C. Duong; James I. Campbell; Hoang V.M. Nguyen; Hien H. Nguyen; Hanh T.B. Bui; Chau V.V. Nguyen; Anita Heywood

doi:10.33393/dti.2022.2504

Authors

Thuy B. Duong Hospital for Tropical Diseases - Vietnam and School of Population Health - University of New South Wales - Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8593-589X
Minh C. Duong School of population health, University of New South Wales: Sydney - Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9300-0047
James I. Campbell Oxford University Clinical Research Unit – Vietnam (OUCRU-VN), Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam
Hoang V.M. Nguyen 3Oxford University Clinical Research Unit – Vietnam (OUCRU-VN), Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam
Hien H. Nguyen Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3665-1572
Hanh T.B. Bui Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam
Chau V.V. Nguyen Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4668-1019
Anita Heywood School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales - Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33393/dti.2022.2504

Keywords:

Healthcare workers, Intensive care unit, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage, Vietnam

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the magnitude and patterns of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage among intensive care unit (ICU) healthcare workers (HCWs), especially in lower-middle-income countries like Vietnam.

Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on HCWs working in the adult ICU of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Vietnam between October 28 and December 20, 2019. These HCWs included physicians, nurses, and nursing assistants who were responsible for all essential medical activities and basic patient care. A questionnaire was used to collect participants’ information, including age, sex, profession, ICU working time, and underlying diseases. Hand and nasal swabs were collected weekly for 8 consecutive weeks for MRSA screening. Staphylococcal isolates were checked for catalase and coagulase and, for methicillin resistance using cefoxitin disk diffusion, then rechecked on the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Results: Among 55 HCWs, 16 (29.1%) carried MRSA in their noses or hands. MRSA intermittent hand carriage was documented in 2 (3.6%) HCWs. Among 53 HCWs undertaking nasal swabs, 13 (24.5%) were MRSA persistent and 3 (5.6%) were intermittent carriers. The MRSA carriage rate was highest among nursing assistants (50%, 4/8). More HCWs with underlying diseases were found to be MRSA carriers (31.8%, 7/22) compared with those without comorbidities (27.3%, 9/33).

Conclusion: MRSA carriage among HCWs is not rare. The findings highlight an urgent need to review and update the local infection prevention and control measures to prevent MRSA transmission from HCWs to patients.

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