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Topical Antibiotic Ointments for Staphylococcal Nasal Carriers: Survey of Current Practices and Comparison of Bacitracin and Vancomycin Ointments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2016

Charles S. Bryan ,
Rachel S. Wilson ,
Patsy Meade  and
Louise G. Sill
Charles S. Bryan*
Affiliation:
Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina
Rachel S. Wilson
Affiliation:
Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina
Patsy Meade
Affiliation:
Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina
Louise G. Sill
Affiliation:
Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina
*
ACC 2, Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia, SC 29203
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Abstract

One measure used in the management of staphylococcal disease outbreaks in newborn nurseries is to obtain nasal cultures from nursery personnel and then treat nasal carriers with topical antibiotic ointments. Because recent infection control guidelines often omit reference to this measure, we surveyed current practices in larger hospitals in the U.S.A. Seventy-one percent of respondents indicated that they would obtain nasal cultures from personnel during a staphylococcal disease outbreak, and 40% indicated that they would prescribe topical antibiotic ointments for personnel with positive nasal cultures before the results of bacteriophage typing became known. Because little has been written about the efficacy of topical intranasal antibiotics within the past decade, we compared bacitracin ointment with a vancomycin ointment for treatment of the staphylococcal nasal carrier state. Both ointments reduced nasal carriage in the majority of instances. However, similar reduction was also observed in an untreated control group. The need for different approaches to the problem of nasal carriers is discussed.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 1 , Issue 3 , May/June 1980 , pp. 153 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1980

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