Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequent cause of skin and soft tissue infections in humans. Methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (MRSA) that emerged in the 1960s presented a relatively limited public health threat until the 1990s, when novel community-associated (CA-) MRSA strains began circulating. CA-MRSA infections are now common, resulting in serious and sometimes fatal infections in otherwise healthy people. Although some have suggested that there is an epidemic of CA-MRSA in the U.S., the origins, extent, and geographic variability of CA-MRSA infections are not known. We present a meta-analysis of published studies that included trend data from a single site or region, and derive summary epidemic curves of CA-MRSA spread over time. Our analysis reveals a dramatic increase in infections over the past two decades, with CA-MRSA strains now endemic at unprecedented levels in many US regions. This increase has not been geographically homogeneous, and appears to have occurred earlier in children than adults.
Highlights
Staphylococcus aureus is among the most common bacterial pathogens of human beings and the most frequent cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), osteomyelitis, and bacteremia [1]
Population-based CA-methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) Incidence There were four studies reporting data from CA-MRSA cases as a fraction of a large population: (1) general population in Chicago [9] (2) population of military veterans in Maryland [10], (3) greater than 440,000 adult and pediatric patients in Pennsylvania who are served by the Geisinger Health System [11], and (4) the population across the U.S insured under Tricare, which includes more than 9 million active duty military personnel, military retirees, certain reservists, and immediate family members [12]
Many single-center studies have demonstrated an increase in MRSA infections outside of the health care setting in the past two decades
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus is among the most common bacterial pathogens of human beings and the most frequent cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), osteomyelitis, and bacteremia [1]. Beginning in the 1990s, new strains of community-associated (CA-) MRSA began to cause infections in previously healthy people in the U.S [3]. CA-MRSA strains differ from the older healthcare-associated (HA-) MRSA isolates in several ways: they typically cause different clinical syndromes, infect different groups of patients, and are genetically distinct [4] from HA-MRSA strains. CA-MRSA infections are occasionally fatal in otherwise healthy people. Much about the extent of the CA-MRSA problem in the U.S is unknown: when these strains first arose, how rapidly they have increased as a cause of infection, and whether the increase was similar across the country and for both children and adults
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
