The Challenge of Antibiotic-Resistant
Staphylococcus: Lessons from Hospital
Nurseries in the mid-20th Century |
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Authors: | Robyn Kroop Shaffer |
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Institution: | Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut |
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Abstract: | In the late 1940s, epidemics of antibiotic-resistant strains of
Staphylococcus
aureus began to plague postpartum nurseries in hospitals
across the United States. Exacerbated by overcrowding and nursing shortages,
resistant S. aureus outbreaks posed a novel challenge to
physicians and nurses heavily reliant on antibiotics as both prophylaxis and
treatment. This paper explores the investigation of the reservoir, mode of
transmission, and virulence of S. aureus during major hospital
outbreaks and the subsequent implementation of novel infection control measures
from the late 1940s through the early 1960s. The exploration of these measures
reveals a shift in infection control policy as hospitals, faced with the failure
of antibiotics to slow S. aureus outbreaks, implemented
laboratory culture routines, modified nursery structure and layout, and altered
nursing staff procedures to counter various forms of S. aureus
transmission. Showcasing the need for widespread epidemiologic surveillance,
ultimately manifesting itself in specialized “hospital epidemiology” training
promoted in the 1970s, the challenges faced by hospital nurses in the 1950s
prove highly relevant to the continued struggle with methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA) and other resistant nosocomial
infections. |
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Keywords: | Staphylococcus aureus antibiotic resistance infection control rooming-in nursing hospital policy MRSA S aureus |
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