The utility of empirical mupirocin for eradication of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonisation in Far North Queensland, Australia.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are common in Far North Queensland (FNQ) and their incidence is increasing. Decolonisation regimens that include topical mupirocin are recommended in Australian guidelines to reduce recurrent infection. Mupirocin resistance was identified in 3,932/15,851 (24.8%) methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) isolates and in 533/5,134 (10.4%) MRSA isolates from FNQ between 1997 and 2016. Factors associated with mupirocin resistance in multivariate analysis were an MSSA isolate, age < 40 years, rural residence and female gender. These data support the use of mupirocin in MRSA decolonisation in FNQ, although addressing the underlying social determinants of health that drive the incidence of S. aureus infections remain a priority for local healthcare provision.