USA300 CA-MRSA an increasing cause of HA-MRSA infections
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — An increasing percentage of cases of health care-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus may be caused by the USA 300 strain of community-acquired MRSA, according to data presented at the 36th International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, held here this week.
A team of researchers from Charleston, S.C., examined data from patients who developed MRSA infections while being treated at the Medical University of South Carolina between January 2004 and June 2008.
There were 377 cases of HA-MRSA among patients treated at the Medical University of South Carolina during this time. Of these, 101 were bloodstream infections, 165 were surgical site infections and 50 were pneumonia; the remaining cases were identified as “other.”
The results demonstrated that USA 300 CA-MRSA may have been responsible for as many as 24.1% of HA-MRSA infections. The researchers said the proportion of cases of HA-MRSA caused by USA 300 CA-MRSA increased significantly from the beginning of the study period to the end.
The percentage of surgical site infections caused by USA 300 CA-MRSA was significantly higher compared to all other types of HA-MRSA (31% vs. 20.8%).
The researchers said younger patients and black patients were more likely to have infections caused by USA 300 CA-MRSA.
For more information:
- Beardsley W. #1-8. Presented at: The 36th International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. June 7-11, 2009. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
