Staphylococcus aureus resistente a meticilina (MRSA): contexto brasileiro, diagnóstico laboratorial e medidas de controle da disseminação

Abstract

Literature review was performed in scientific articles and technical manuals of the medical laboratory on the theme methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The Gram-positive bacteria, potentially pathogenic, both in hospital and in the community, causes skin infections, wounds, septicemia, conjunctivitis, among others. It is a ubiquitous pathogen and a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its epidemiology strongly influenced by the wide variety of virulence factors produced and by the rapid development of antimicrobial resistance, already existing strains resistant to virtually all antimicrobials used in clinical practice. Methicillin, a beta-lactam antibiotic, is considered the first choice for the treatment of infections caused by S. aureus, but only one year after its introduction into clinical practice in early 1960, has been reported the emergence of strains resistant to this agent, and these strains were then called S. aureus resistant to methicillin (MRSA). Successful treatment of MRSA infections depends on early diagnosis and accurate, and should be based on a combination of epidemiological, clinical symptoms and characterization of strains resistant to methicillin. The effective control of MRSA is based on a group of measures ranging from a firm adherence to basic principles of infection control, such as hand hygiene, early identification and isolation of patients colonized or infected with MRSA, as well as decolonization in specific situations.