Epidemiology and Infection

Table of Contents - 2010 - Volume 138, Special Issue 05 (Epidemiology of MRSA with Emphasis on Veterinary and Community Settings)  

Short Report

The impact of household transmission on duration of outpatient colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

E. LAUTENBACHa1a2a3a4 c1, P. TOLOMEOa3, I. NACHAMKINa4a5, B. HUa3a5 and T. E. ZAOUTISa2a3a4a6

a1 Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

a2 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

a3 Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

a4 Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

a5 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

a6 Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA, USA

SUMMARY

We identified eight consecutive patients who presented with a skin or soft tissue infection due to MRSA. Of seven household members of these cases, three were colonized with MRSA. The mean duration of MRSA colonization in index cases was 33 days (range 14–104), while mean duration of colonization in household cases was 54 days (range 12–95). There was a borderline significant association between having a concurrent colonized household member and a longer duration of colonization (mean 44 days vs. 26 days, P=0·08).

(Accepted December 22 2009)

(Online publication January 29 2010)

Key Words:

Correspondence:

c1 Author for correspondence: Dr E. Lautenbach, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 825 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021, USA. (Email: ebbing@mail.med.upenn.edu)

Footnotes

This paper was presented in part at the 19th Annual Meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), 19–22 March 2009, San Diego, CA, USA.

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