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Transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is becoming increasingly common in hospitals, through such fomites as stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and computer terminals. Gyms and prisons are other known sites of MRSA colonization. Researchers assessed whether ambulances are another source of MRSA contamination by collecting swabs from five areas within each of 21 ambulances (16 advanced life support, 3 basic life support, and 2 critical care transport) at two stations from one urban fleet.
At 96 hours after plating, 13 samples isolated from 10 ambulances (12% of swabs, 48% of ambulances) were positive for MRSA. Positive samples were obtained from the steering wheel (1), patient stretcher (4), emergency medical tech…