title: Risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection after previous infection or colonization.
abstract: Studies evaluating the risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-associated sequelae in colonized or infected inpatients have not extended follow-up into the period after discharge from the hospital. We determined the 18-month risk of MRSA infection among 209 adult patients newly identified as harboring MRSA. Twenty-nine percent of patients (60 patients) developed subsequent MRSA infections (90 infections). These infections were often severe. Twenty-eight percent of infections (25 of 90) involved bacteremia, and 56% (50 of 90) involved pneumonia, soft tissue infection, osteomyelitis, or septic arthritis. Eighty percent of patients (48 of 60) with subsequent MRSA infection developed the infection at a new site, and 49% of new MRSA infections (44 of 90) first became manifest after discharge from the hospital. Accurate assessment of the risk of MRSA-associated sequelae requires prolonged follow-up after discharge.
authors.affiliation: Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston, MA 02115 , USA. sshuang@partners.org
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Platt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*