The hospital super-bug MRSA is rife in nursing homes amongst both residents and staff, British researchers have warned.
A major study of nursing homes found that 24 per cent of residents were carrying MRSA.
And seven per cent of staff were also carrying the bug.
Researchers tested some 1,111 residents and 553 staff in 45 nursing homes in the north of Northern Ireland.
The findings have led to calls for better training of nursing home staff in infection control and tougher measures to ensure that action is taken.
MRSA was found in 42 of the 45 homes and in one home 73 per cent of residents were carrying the bug, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Dr Paddy Kearney, a microbiologist with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust of Northern Ireland, said: "We decided to carry out the study after noticing an apparent increase in recent years in the number of patients who had MRSA when they were admitted to hospital from nursing homes.
"In hospitals routine checks are carried out to identify those most at risk of MRSA colonisation – carrying it on their skin and/or nose – and infection control policies are put in place but this is not always feasible in private nursing homes."
Fellow researcher Dr Michael Tunney, of Queen’s University, Belfast, School of Pharmacy, said: "This is the first study which has reported prevalence of MRSA among staff in nursing homes in the UK and found that staff need to be more aware of the potential problem MRSA can be in this setting."
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Volume 57, number 4.
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