Table 2.

MRSA colonization among healthcare-workers in the EUREGIO screened twice for nasopharyngeal carriage.

Initial swab			Validation swab*
Result**	Number	Percentage	Participation	Positive swab	Negative swab***
(−/−)	693	95.45	NA	NA	NA
(+/+)	21	2.89	NA	NA	NA
(−/+)	4	0.55	2 of 4	0	2
(+/−)	8	1.11	5 of 8	2	3
Total	726	−	−	−	−

^*Validation swab to confirm or exclude stable MRSA colonization among HCWs with discordant results of initial two nasopharyngeal swabs;

^**MRSA test result (−/−), negative in two nasopharyngeal swabs; (+/+), MRSA detected in two nasopharyngeal swabs; (−/+) and (+/−), MRSA detected in one of two nasopharyngeal swabs, a validation swab was taken in these cases;

^***NA, not applicable.