J Korean Assoc Maxillofac Plast Reconstr Surg.  2003 Jan;25(1):25-32.

Infection pattern of Staphylococcus aureus in the dental clinic

• Moon SE
• Lee DK
• Kim KJ

Abstract

To investigate the cross contamination in the dental clinic, Staphylococcus aureus, the pathogen in acute pyogenic infection and one of the important microbes causing nosocomial infection, was isolated from the mouth and anterior nare of healthy personnel and patients and the air in the dental clinic. The patterns of antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated staphylococci were examined. mecA gene from the MRSA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The isolation rate of S. aureus in the dental clinic was the highest in the mouth of dentists (29.4%) and the lowest in the air of the dental clinic (1.3%). In the study of PCR, MRSA and some methicillin susceptible staphylococci had mecA positive gene. These results suggest that staphylococci in the dental environment might be one of the important causes of nosocomial infection in the dental clinic.

Keyword

Nosocomial infection; Staphylococcus aureus; MRSA; mecA

MeSH Terms

Cross Infection
Dental Clinics*
Dentists
Humans
Methicillin
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Mouth
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Staphylococcus aureus*
Staphylococcus*
Methicillin