MRSA Transmission Among Household Contacts

Among patients with newly diagnosed MRSA colonization or infection, up to 70% of household contacts were found to be colonized, usually with the same strain.

Staphylococcus aureus, found on the skin and in the nares of 30% to 40% of the population, is easily passed among humans. Although prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is lower, transmission is similarly easy. MRSA outbreaks in healthcare settings are well described and indicate poor compliance with hygiene standards. But what about in households of MRSA-positive patients?

At a hospital in southern Sweden, where MRSA prevalence remains comparatively low, MRSA infection or colonization was diagnosed in 125 patients between 2000 and 2005. Sixty-seven of these patients lived in households with at least one other family member. Household contacts of 51 such patients (total, 114 contacts; age range, 1–92) were tested for MRSA, at …

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection