TY - JOUR
T1 - Carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Queensland indigenous community
AU - Vlack, Susan
AU - Cox, Leonie
AU - Peleg, Anton Y.
AU - Canuto, Condy
AU - Stewart, Christine
AU - Conlon, Alzira
AU - Stephens, Alex
AU - Giffard, Philip
AU - Huygens, Flavia
AU - Mollinger, Adam
AU - Vohra, Renu
AU - McCarthy, James
PY - 2006/6/5
Y1 - 2006/6/5
N2 - Objective: To determine the prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) carriage and infection among children living in an Indigenous community in Queensland. Design, setting and participants: Swabs for culture of S. aureus were collected from the nose, throat and skin wounds of primary school children. Main outcome measures: MRSA carriage, antibiotic sensitivity, genotype, and presence of the virulence factor Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL); and epidemiological risk factors for MRSA carriage. Results: 92 (59%) of 157 eligible children were included in the study. Twenty-seven (29%) carried S. aureus; 14 of these (15% of total) carried MRSA. MRSA was isolated from 29% of wound swabs, 8% of nose swabs, and 1% of throat swabs. Fourteen of 15 MRSA isolates were sensitive to all non-β-lactam antibiotics tested. Eight children (9%) carried CA-MRSA clonal types: six carried the Queensland clone (ST93), and two carried the South West Pacific clone (ST30). All these isolates carried the virulence factor PVL. The remaining six children carried a hospital-associated MRSA strain (ST5), negative for PVL. Conclusions: We have identified a high prevalence of CA-MRSA carriage in school children from a Queensland Indigenous community. In this setting, antibiotics with activity against CA-MRSA should be considered for empiric therapy of suspected staphylococcal infection. Larger community-based studies are needed to improve our understanding of the epidemiology of CA-MRSA, and to assist in the development of therapeutic guidelines for this important infection.
AB - Objective: To determine the prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) carriage and infection among children living in an Indigenous community in Queensland. Design, setting and participants: Swabs for culture of S. aureus were collected from the nose, throat and skin wounds of primary school children. Main outcome measures: MRSA carriage, antibiotic sensitivity, genotype, and presence of the virulence factor Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL); and epidemiological risk factors for MRSA carriage. Results: 92 (59%) of 157 eligible children were included in the study. Twenty-seven (29%) carried S. aureus; 14 of these (15% of total) carried MRSA. MRSA was isolated from 29% of wound swabs, 8% of nose swabs, and 1% of throat swabs. Fourteen of 15 MRSA isolates were sensitive to all non-β-lactam antibiotics tested. Eight children (9%) carried CA-MRSA clonal types: six carried the Queensland clone (ST93), and two carried the South West Pacific clone (ST30). All these isolates carried the virulence factor PVL. The remaining six children carried a hospital-associated MRSA strain (ST5), negative for PVL. Conclusions: We have identified a high prevalence of CA-MRSA carriage in school children from a Queensland Indigenous community. In this setting, antibiotics with activity against CA-MRSA should be considered for empiric therapy of suspected staphylococcal infection. Larger community-based studies are needed to improve our understanding of the epidemiology of CA-MRSA, and to assist in the development of therapeutic guidelines for this important infection.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33745468354&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 16768661
AN - SCOPUS:33745468354
VL - 184
SP - 556
EP - 559
JO - The Medical Journal of Australia
JF - The Medical Journal of Australia
SN - 0025-729X
IS - 11
ER -