| pubmed-article:8399602 | pubmed:abstractText | Although the definition of S. aureus nasal carriage in peritoneal dialysis patients is variable, carriage is often defined as 2 or more positive cultures for S. aureus. We investigated the relationship between S. aureus infections and nasal carriage (defined as 1 or more positive nose cultures) in 138 patients on peritoneal dialysis. By this definition, approximately 50% of the patients were carriers. The rates of S. aureus exit-site infection (0.28/year vs 0.43/year, p < 0.001) and peritonitis (0.08/year vs 0.20/year, p < 0.001) were lower in the noncarriers (patients with no positive nose cultures) than in those patients who had 1 or more positive nose cultures. Patients with only 1 positive nose culture had a similar S. aureus exit-site infection rate (0.31/year vs 0.28/year), but a higher peritonitis rate (0.24/year vs 0.08/year, p < 0.001) compared to those patients with no positive nose cultures. However, patients with 2 or more positive nose cultures were at increased risk for both S. aureus exit-site infections and peritonitis. This relationship held even when only patients with frequent nose cultures were included in the analysis. Thus patients with even 1 positive nose culture for S. aureus are at risk for S. aureus peritonitis and should not be classified as noncarriers. | lld:pubmed |
