Efficacy of intranasal application of povidone-iodine cream in eradicating nasal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) staff.

We investigated the staff in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the nasal cavity, and then applied intranasal povidone-iodine cream to the physicians and nurses working on the unit. Prior to the application of povidone-iodine cream, the isolation rate of S. aureus from the nasal cavity was 30% for the physicians and nurses in contact with NICU patients (contact group), not significantly different from the 33.3% rate for other hospital staff (control group). The isolation rate for the contact group decreased to 10.5% after application of the cream. Although MRSA was not isolated from the nasal cavity of those in the control group, it was isolated from 13.3% of those of the contact group before application of the cream. Nasal MRSA disappeared after use of the cream. No adverse reactions or abnormalities in serum levels of thyroid hormone-related substances were observed in any of the subjects. These results indicated that the nasal application of povidone-iodine cream is safe and effective for eradicating MRSA in the nasal cavity.