MRSA Notes

Facts from the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) study, reported with comments from Tara Smith at her Aetiology Blog:

75 of the S. aureus-colonized individuals were carrying MRSA–.8% of the population, or about 2.3 million Americans. In this analysis, MRSA was found more frequently in older age groups, and in females. However, when community-acquired MRSA (in contrast to nosocomially—or hospital-acquired—isolates) were analyzed separately, the groups most at risk again were young children and African-Americans. As previous studies have shown that those who are colonized are at a higher risk of subsequent MRSA disease, this puts a significant amount of our population–and particularly, our children–at risk of developing serious disease due to this bacterium, which is extremely difficult to treat.

Additionally, MRSA disease in individuals who have no nosocomial exposure has increased in the past several years. Since the data from this study comes from samples taken in 2001-2, these results can be compared to more recent data. For example, other studies conducted at various sites in 2001 found MRSA prevalence rates of .6-2.8%. However, by 2004, a study of 500 healthy children using identical methods found colonization rates of 9.2%, an increase of greater than 10-fold in that community. Likewise, a 2004 study of youths in San Francisco found a MRSA colonization rate of 6.2%, and a Texas study earlier this year reported a 22% MRSA colonization rate. Certainly with these numbers, the increasing find of community-acquired MRSA becomes much less surprising.

Read the rest:
Population-based surveillance for MRSA - Aetiology

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