Where is MRSA found?
MRSA is found worldwide, predominantly in hospitals and institutions such as nursing homes. Much less commonly, MRSA is found in the general community. There are three main reservoirs (and hence sources of spread and infection) for MRSA in hospital and institutions: staff, patients and inanimate objects such as beds, linen and utensils. By far the most important reservoir is patients who may be colonised with MRSA without evidence of infection. The usual sites of colonisation with MRSA are the nostrils, skin, groin, axilla, and wounds. Most health professionals who are colonised with MRSA do not develop infection and many spontaneously clear the organism without treatment. Once colonisation has been present for more than three months, it becomes much more difficult to clear. Patients, however, have a 30-60% risk of infection following colonisation. This is probably due to factors related to the illness for which they are hospitalised, which impair their ability to clear or control colo
