The present study evaluated the efficacy of methylrosanilinium chloride (Pyoktanin) and DF-100in preventing nosocomial infection with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which was isolated from the inpatients and their surrounding facilities in the Department of Otolaryngology at Yamanashi Medical University Hospital.
Among the 29 patients who were hospitalized in our inpatient ward,14 were found to be MRSA carriers. MRSA was isolated from the nasal vestibule in 13 patients, from the oropharynx in six, and from the tracheostoma in three. MRSA was also detected on the floors of patient's rooms (8 of 11 rooms) as well as those of the nurse station, bath rooms, lavatories, etc.
The floors were meticulously sterilized once a day with DF-100, which was proven to be a potent disinfectant against various pathogens. We also applied 0.01% Pyoktanin hydrophilic ointment to gauze pads covering the tracheostomas as one of the preventive measures against MRSA, since MRSA at the site of tracheostomas tended to spread widely to the surrounding environment of the hospital in the form of droplet infection or contamination. The Pyoktanin ointment was also applied to the nasal vestibule of the MRSA carriers to eliminate MRSA contamination.
Through the use of these countermeasures, the detection rate of MRSA in the ward and patients steadily decreased, and one year later, not a single patient was identified as having MRSA. These results suggest that DF-100 is an advantageous chemical agent to sterilize the hospital environment, since it is not a stimulant nor a volatile chemical. Thus both sterilization of the floors of the ward with DF-100 and prevention of droplet infection or contamination with the topical use of Pyoktanin ointment are useful and effective measures to prevent nosocomial MRSA infection or contamination.