Wound colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and hypotheses about acquisition routes in rural health care settings in Sub-Saharan Africa: Perspective from a center devoted to the treatment of cutaneous neglected tropical diseases.

We identified a high prevalence (46.4%) of wound colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients hospitalized in a center devoted to the treatment of cutaneous tropical diseases in Benin. The proportion of MRSA among S aureus isolates was 54.3%. Thirty percent of these MRSA were identified in outpatients. The analysis of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis demonstrated an important diversity of strains but also identified 8 small clusters containing between 2 and 4 isolates suggesting cross-transmission. • Almost half of patients' wounds were colonized with MRSA. • Total 30% of MRSA were identified in outpatients. • Diversity of MRSA isolates according to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. • Several small clusters suggest direct or cross-transmission inside the center. • Need for rural African health care settings to refer to a microbiology laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]