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Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
12:18

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Published on: February 9, 2011

Skin and environmental contamination with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among carriers identified

Shelley Chang1, Ajay K Sethi, Brittany C Eckstein

  • 1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|April 15, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal carriage can lead to skin and environmental contamination. Strategies to limit MRSA transmission should target both colonized and infected patients.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant cause of healthcare-associated infections.
  • Nasal carriage of MRSA is a major risk factor for subsequent infection and transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the extent of skin and environmental contamination by MRSA in patients with clinically identified carriage versus those identified through active surveillance.
  • To inform strategies for MRSA transmission control.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study design.
  • Involved 115 patients with MRSA nares carriage.
  • Assessed skin and environmental contamination in relation to MRSA carriage identification method (clinical vs. active surveillance).

Main Results:

  • Skin and environmental contamination with MRSA was equally likely in patients with carriage identified clinically and those identified via active surveillance.
  • This indicates that asymptomatic or subclinically colonized individuals contribute to MRSA spread.

Conclusions:

  • MRSA transmission control strategies must encompass patients identified through active surveillance, not solely those with clinical MRSA identification.
  • Addressing colonized individuals is crucial for comprehensive MRSA infection prevention.

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