Screening In health-care settings, isolating those with<unk>  from those without the infection is one method to prevent transmission. Rapid culture and sensitivity testing and molecular testing identifies carriers and reduces infection rates. It is especially important to test patients in these settings since 2% of people are carriers of<unk> , even though in many of these cases the bacteria reside in the nostril and the patient won’t present any symptoms.<unk>  can be identified by swabbing the nostrils and isolating the bacteria found there. Combined with extra sanitary measures for those in contact with infected people, swab screening people admitted to hospitals has been found to be effective in minimizing the spread of<unk>  in hospitals in the United States, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands. Handwashing The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers suggestions for preventing the contraction and spread of<unk>  infection which are applicable to those in community settings, including incarcerated populations, childcare center employees, and athletes. To prevent the spread of<unk> , the recommendations are to wash hands thoroughly and regularly using soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer. Additional recommendations are to keep wounds clean and covered, avoid contact with other people's wounds, avoid sharing personal items such as razors or towels, shower after exercising at athletic facilities, and shower before using swimming pools or whirlpools. Isolation Excluding medical facilities, current US guidance does not require workers with<unk>  infections to be routinely excluded from the general workplace. The National Institutes of Health recommend that those with wound drainage that cannot be covered and contained with a clean, dry bandage and those who cannot maintain good hygiene practices be reassigned, and patients with wound drainage should also automatically be put on “Contact Precaution,” regardless of whether or not they have a known infection. Workers with active infections are excluded from activities where skin-to-skin contact is likely to occur. To prevent the spread of staphylococci or<unk>  in the workplace, employers are encouraged to make available adequate facilities that support good hygiene. In addition, surface and equipment sanitizing should conform to Environmental Protection Agency-registered disinfectants. In hospital settings, contact isolation can be stopped after one to three cultures come back negative. Before the patient is cleared from isolation, it is advised that there is dedicated patient-care or single-use equipment for that particular patient. If this is not possible, the equipment must be properly disinfected before it is used on another patient. To prevent the spread of<unk>  in the home, health departments recommend laundering materials that have come into contact with infected persons separately and with a dilute bleach solution; to reduce the bacterial load in one's nose and skin; and to clean and disinfect those things in the house that people regularly touch, such as sinks, tubs, kitchen counters, cell phones, light switches, doorknobs, phones, toilets, and computer keyboards. Restricting antibiotic use Glycopeptides, cephalosporins, and in particular, quinolones are associated with an increased risk of colonisation of<unk> . Reducing use of antibiotic classes that promote<unk>  colonisation, especially fluoroquinolones, is recommended in current guidelines. Public health considerations Mathematical models describe one way in which a loss of infection control can occur after measures for screening and isolation seem to be effective for years, as happened in the UK. In the "search and destroy" strategy that was employed by all UK hospitals until the mid-1990s, all hospitalized people with<unk>  were immediately isolated, and all staff were screened for<unk>  and were prevented from working until they had completed a course of eradication therapy that was proven to work. Loss of control occurs because colonised people are discharged back into the community and then readmitted; when the number of colonised people in the community reaches a certain threshold, the "search and destroy" strategy is overwhelmed. One of the few countries not to have been overwhelmed by<unk>  is the Netherlands: an important part of the success of the Dutch strategy may have been to attempt eradication of carriage upon discharge from hospital. Decolonization As of 2013, no randomized clinical trials had been conducted to understand how to treat nonsurgical wounds that had been colonized, but not infected, with<unk> , and insufficient studies had been conducted to understand how to treat surgical wounds that had been colonized with<unk> . As of 2013, whether strategies to eradicate<unk>  colonization of people in nursing homes reduced infection rates was not known. Care should be taken when trying to drain boils, as disruption of surrounding tissue can lead to larger infections, including infection of the blood stream. Mupirocin 2% ointment can be effective at reducing the size of lesions. A secondary covering of clothing is preferred. As shown in an animal study with diabetic mice, the topical application of a mixture of sugar (70%) and 3% povidone-iodine paste is an effective agent for the treatment of diabetic ulcers with<unk>  infection. Community settings Maintaining the necessary cleanliness may be difficult for people if they do not have access to facilities such as public toilets with handwashing facilities. In the United Kingdom, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require businesses to provide toilets for their employees, along with washing facilities including soap or other suitable means of cleaning. Guidance on how many toilets to provide and what sort of washing facilities should be provided alongside them is given in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Approved Code of Practice and Guidance L24, available from Health and Safety Executive Books, but no legal obligations exist on local authorities in the United Kingdom to provide public toilets, and although in 2008, the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee called for a duty on local authorities to develop a public toilet strategy, this was rejected by the Government. Agriculture The World Health Organization advocates regulations on the use of antibiotics in animal feed to prevent the emergence of drug-resistant strains of<unk> .<unk>  is established in animals and birds.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
Streptococcus bovis
Carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae
Streptococcus pyogenes
Staphylococcus haemolyticus
Corynebacterium diphtheriae