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Updated: Jun 17, 2025
Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA
Published on: February 9, 2011
Hospitalizations among family members increase the risk of MRSA infection in a household
Aaron C Miller1, Alan T Arakkal2, Daniel K Sewell2
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Objective:
Estimate the risk for household transmission of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) following exposure to infected family members or family members recently discharged from a hospital.
Design:
Analysis of monthly MRSA incidence from longitudinal insurance claims using the Merative MarketScan Commercial and Medicare (2001-2021) databases.
Setting:
Visits to inpatient, emergency department, and outpatient settings.
Patients:
Households with ≥2 family members enrolled in the same insurance plan for the entire month.
Methods:
We estimated a monthly incidence model, where enrollees were binned into monthly enrollment strata defined by demographic, patient, and exposure characteristics. Monthly incidence within each stratum was computed, and a regression analysis was used to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) associated with household exposures of interest while accounting for potential confounding factors.
Results:
A total of 157,944,708 enrollees were included and 424,512 cases of MRSA were identified. Across all included enrollees, exposure to a family member with MRSA in the prior 30 days was associated with significantly increased risk of infection (IRR: 71.03 [95% CI, 67.73-74.50]). After removing enrollees who were hospitalized or exposed to a family member with MRSA, exposure to a family member who was recently discharged from the hospital was associated with increased risk of infection (IRR: 1.44 [95% CI, 1.39-1.49]) and the risk of infection increased with the duration of the family member's hospital stay (P value < .001).
Conclusions:
Exposure to a recently hospitalized and discharged family member increased the risk of MRSA infection in a household even when the hospitalized family member was not diagnosed with MRSA.
Insights
Household exposure to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) significantly increases infection risk. Even contact with recently discharged family members raises MRSA risk, highlighting the importance of post-hospitalization precautions.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a significant public health threat.
- Understanding household transmission dynamics is crucial for infection control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the risk of household transmission of MRSA.
- To assess transmission risk from infected family members or those recently discharged from hospital.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of longitudinal insurance claims data (2001-2021).
- Utilized a monthly incidence model with regression analysis.
- Included households with at least two family members enrolled concurrently.
Main Results:
- Over 157 million enrollees analyzed, identifying over 424,000 MRSA cases.
- Exposure to a family member with MRSA increased infection risk significantly (IRR: 71.03).
- Exposure to a recently hospitalized family member also increased risk (IRR: 1.44), with risk rising with hospital stay duration.
Conclusions:
- Household exposure to recently discharged family members elevates MRSA infection risk.
- This increased risk is present even if the hospitalized member was not diagnosed with MRSA.
- Findings underscore the need for vigilance regarding MRSA transmission within households post-hospitalization.
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