Surveillance for severe community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection.
Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has rapidly emerged in the USA as a cause of severe infections in previously healthy persons without traditional risk factors. We describe the epidemiology of severe CA-MRSA disease in the state of Georgia, USA and analyse the risk of death associated with three different clinical syndromes of CA-MRSA disease - pneumonia, invasive disease, and skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs). A total of 1670 cases of severe CA-MRSA disease were reported during 2005-2007. The case-fatality rate was 3.4%; sex and race of fatal and non-fatal cases did not differ significantly. While CA-MRSA pneumonia and invasive disease were less common than SSTIs, they were about 15 times more likely to result in death [risk ratio 16.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 10.28-27.07 and 13.98, 95% CI 7.74-25.27, respectively]. When controlling for age and the presence of other clinical syndromes the odds of death in patients manifesting specific severe CA-MRSA syndromes was highest in those with pneumonia (odds ratio 11.34). Possible risk factors for severe CA-MRSA SSTI and pneumonia included the draining of lesions without medical assistance and an antecedent influenza-like illness.
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. Petra.wiersma@gmail.com
P
P
Wiersma
M
M
Tobin D'Angelo
W R
WR
Daley
J
J
Tuttle
K E
KE
Arnold
S M
SM
Ray
J L
JL
Ladson
S N
SN
Bulens
C L
CL
Drenzek
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D055815:Young Adult