Differences between Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Medical and Nonmedical Hospital Personnel

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Abstract
It is unclear whether the levels of Staphylococcus aureus colonization of hospital personnel with patient exposure are increased or whether personnel become colonized with more antibiotic-resistant strains. Differences in nasal and hand carriage of S. aureus between medical and nonmedical hospital personnel were examined. No differences in nasal carriage between the two groups were found; however, there was a trend that suggested differences in the rates of hand carriage of S . aureus (18% of nonmedical personnel and 10% of medical personnel). Medical personnel were colonized with more antibiotic-resistant isolates than nonmedical personnel (mean, 2.8 versus 2.1 isolates [ P < 0.03]), and the strain profiles indicated that they tended to be more clonal in origin, suggesting that exposure to hospital isolates alters the colonization profile.