What is decolonization and is it effective?
Decolonization is an attempt to remove Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA or both from an individual’s body environment known to be colonized. At first glance this appears to be relatively simple. However, years of experience with decolonization strategies taught us that this is difficult to do. Also, it is not certain whether it is an effective practice (i.e., whether it reduces transmissibility of the organism or whether it reduces the risk to a colonized person of becoming infected). Routine use of decolonization in managing MRSA infections is not recommended. Various strategies have been employed to decolonize individuals; none can be recommended as routinely effective. Intranasal mupirocin is a favorite agent to use in this situation. Mupirocin cream is applied to the nose, often twice a day, for some defined period (e.g., five days). Most studies that employ this technique have demonstrated that there is a decrease in nasal colonization. Most studies further demonstrate that following
