Nasal Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant S aureus in the United States, 2001–2002

The Article in Brief

Background Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of invasive infection, often found in hospitals and other institutional settings. A drug-resistant strain called methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) has been increasingly found outside the hospital setting. This study estimates the prevalence of S aureus and MRSA in the general population of the United States.

What This Study Found An estimated 86.9 million people, or nearly one-third of the US population, carry S aureus. More than 2.2 million people, or less than 1 percent of the population, carry MRSA. Teens and males are more likely than other groups to carry S. aureus. When elderly patients carry S aureus, they are more likely than younger people to carry MRSA.

Implications

• Avoiding overuse of antibiotics is important to slow the spread of resistant organisms, such as MRSA.
• Clinicians should take infection control procedures that are effective against S aureus, particularly when treating teen and male patients.
• Elderly patients with suspected staphylococcus infections may need antibiotic coverage against resistant strains.
• The authors advise clinicians making therapeutic decisions to monitor bacterial carriage rates and resistance patterns for their own hospitals and cities, in addition to the patterns identified in thi