title: Increased prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in household contacts of children with community acquired disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To measure Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonization prevalence in household contacts of children with current community associated (CA)-MRSA infections (study group) in comparison with a group of household contacts of children without suspected Staphylococcus aureus infection (a control group).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross sectional study. Cultures of the anterior nares were taken. Relatedness of isolated strains was tested using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of MRSA colonization in the study group was significantly higher than in the control group (18/77 (23%) vs 3/77 (3.9%); p ≤ 0.001). The prevalence of SA colonization was 28/77 (36%) in the study group and 16/77 (21%) in the control group (p = 0.032). The prevalence of SA nasal colonization among patients was 6/24 (25%); one with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and 5 with MRSA. In the study (patient) group, 14/24 (58%) families had at least one household member who was colonized with MRSA compared to 2/29 (6.9%) in the control group (p = 0.001). Of 69 total isolates tested by PFGE, 40 (58%) were related to USA300. Panton-Valetine leukocidin (PVL) genes were detected in 30/52 (58%) tested isolates. Among the families with ≥1 contact colonized with MRSA, similar PFGE profiles were found between the index patient and a contact in 10/14 families.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of asymptomatic nasal carriage of MRSA is higher among household contacts of patients with CA-MRSA disease than control group. Decolonizing such carriers may help prevent recurrent CA-MRSA infections.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Yaseen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rafee
authors.forename: Nahed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abdel-Haq
authors.forename: Basim
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asmar
authors.forename: Tanaz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Salimnia
authors.forename: Celine Vidaillac
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Pharm
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rybak Pharm
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amjad
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009666:Nose / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult