Molecular epidemiology of a suspected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak in a renal unit of a central academic hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonisation and infections have a significant impact on individual patients and institutions. Therefore, continuous epidemiological surveillance of MRSA, including genotypic analysis, is important to obtain a better understanding of the dynamics of these microorganisms. We were able to identify an increase in MRSA prevalence in the adjoining renal and dermatology units in our central academic hospital in KwaZulu-Natal as a result of a local continuous MRSA epidemiological surveillance programme. Here, we on report the findings of this infection control investigation, and how an MRSA risk assessment profile, the utilisation of surveillance swabs and genotypic pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis assisted in excluding what appeared to be an outbreak of MRSA in the renal and dermatology units.