REPEATED ASSESSMENT OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS NASAL CARRIAGE IN HEMODIALYSIS-PATIENTS

Objectives: In order to better establish a prevention strategy based on mupirocin, we evaluated nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in haemodialysis patients over a 15 month period. Methods: Search for Staphylococcus aureus in the nasal cavities was made every 2 months in 92 chronic dialysis patients, These patients were divided into 3 groups according to the nature of the carriage: non-permanent, intermittent or permanent. Results: Among the 80 patients retained for analysis, there were 27.5% with intermittent carriage and 11.25% with permanent carriage, Factors which appeared to protect against carriage were rural residence and home self-dialysis. Conclusion: Repeated long-term search for nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus has provided reliable data for each patient and gave information on the effects of epidemiological conditions and health care structures.