Loading...
Nasal mupirocin effectively eradicates colonization with Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA). Eradication decreases the risk for MRSA infection in affected individuals. However, many patients fail to respond to such treatment, prompting these researchers to ask why. In a single European hospital endemic for MRSA, 98 MRSA-colonized patients (55 percent with multiple positive sites) completed a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of nasal mupirocin. Each patient also showered or bathed daily for 9 days with 4 percent chlorhexidine soap.
At the end of the study (at least 30 days post-treatment or to time of failure), overall response was poor: MRSA colonization persisted in 75 percent of mupirocin recipients a…