Pandemic Brings About Rise in Hospital MRSA Rates

Hospital-acquired cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection had been in decline since 2010. However, that changed in 2020 when researchers studying the impact of  COVID-19 on health care-acquired infections (HAIs) noticed a significant increase in MRSA cases, Infection Control Today reports.

Analyzing data from the last quarter of 2020 from more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals, investigators found a 34% increase, on average, of MRSA cases compared with the same quarter in 2019. They noted hospitals in several states had extremely high jumps, with a 99% increase in New Jersey hospitals and an 80% increase in Arizona hospitals.

Researchers attribute some of the increase to the larger number of laboratory-identified events due to increased testing during the pandemic. But they are still investigating other causes. They are considering a recent study that found more than 25% of all co-infections in COVID-19 patients were related to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), more than half of which were MRSA.

Researchers are considering areas outside of patients’ rooms—such as outpatient clinics and radiology and physical therapy rooms—as a main source of transmission. A six-month observational study conducted by investigators from the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland found shedding of MRSA during 45% of appointments outside hospital rooms and during outpatient clinic visits.

Learn about new methods and cleaning tips to combat HAIs.