An outbreak of non-typeable MRSA within a residential care facility

In a household setting within a residential care facility for visually and intellectually disabled people, a resident (index case) was diagnosed with dermal abscesses caused by a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which was non-typeable by standard pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. In the process of 'search and destroy', all residents and staff in contact with the index case (a total of 200 people) were screened for MRSA. Five people (three personnel and two residents) carried non-typeable MRSA and were treated with antibiotics to eradicate the infection. The 'search and destroy' efforts did not result in the identification of a source. Goats and rabbits which were kept on the premises tested negative for MRSA. The condition of the index case is improving. Further restrictive measures were implemented within the facility to prevent wider spread of the MRSA. This discovery and spread within a residential care facility of a non-typeable MRSA which is often associated with livestock, is remarkable.