National MRSA study gets underway as Somerset NHS Foundation Trust recruits first participant in the UK

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (FT) has recruited the first patient to a £2million research study looking at the best way to prevent MRSA infection in hospitals.

The TIDE (Trial of Decolonisation) study is aiming to discover if alternative treatments work as well as the current standard of care for patients found to have MRSA - methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus - on their bodies when they are admitted to hospital. 

Some patients coming into hospital who carry Staphylococcus aureus are at increased risk of developing infections, if they have other health conditions or illnesses that make them more susceptible to infection, or if the bacteria get access to areas such as the site of surgery. For this reason, many patients are routinely ‘decolonised’ of the bacteria, usually through the use of a nasal ointment and a bodywash.

TIDE is comparing three different types of nasal ointment, mupirocin (an antibiotic), polyhexanide gel (an antiseptic) or neomycin cream (an antibiotic), which will each be given alongside a chlorhexidine body wash. If found to be effective, polyhexanide could play a role in reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics, helping address the challenge of antimicrobial resistance.

The study, which is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is led by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It is recruiting volunteers at NHS trusts up and down the country, supported locally by the NIHR Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula.

Charmaine Shovelton, lead nurse for the study at Somerset FT, said: “Infection control has been in the news more than ever over the past few years, but one infection that has been, and continues to be prevalent is MRSA, which is becoming resistant to antibiotics used to treat it.

“This important research has captured the interest of so many of our colleagues from all areas of the NHS trust, who have gone above and beyond to look at how we can recruit eligible patients to the study – this has led to Somerset recruiting the first patient in the whole of the UK.”

The trust’s research teams have been joined by two new principal investigators (PIs) to help oversee the trial. Susan Hardman, a consultant microbiologist and Alison Wootton, the trust’s director of infection prevention and control, are excited to be acting as joint PIs – a new role for them both.

Susan Hardman said: “The overuse of antibiotics has caused ‘superbugs’ to evolve which are resistant to many antibiotics commonly used.

“I was keen to be involved in the study as PI because reducing unnecessary antibiotic use is important to stop the development of these superbugs, and a vital part of my role as a consultant microbiologist.

“It has been a pleasure working with the research team at the trust and I believe their hard work, together with that of the infection control team and the local microbiology laboratory, is the main reason why we’ve managed to open and recruit so quickly.”

To find out about health and care research studies recruiting in your area, visit https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/