When fewer patients have positive cultures for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus upon admission, transmission and infection rates of the bug within a hospital setting see a corresponding drop, according to research in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
In a study of MRSA epidemiology, researchers tracked prevalence of MRSA upon admission, MRSA acquisition rates and rates of positive cultures for hospital-acquired MRSA as proxies for importation, transmission and hospital-acquired MRSA infection rates at 112 Veterans Affairs medical centers between 2007 and 2010.
Researchers found a 10 percent increase in admission rates for patients with positive cultures for MRSA corresponded to nearly 10 percent increases in transmission and infection rates.
On average, MRSA prevalence in the hospitals at admission was 11.4 percent, while acquisition risk was 5.2 per 1000 patient days, and hospital-acquired infection risk was 1.8 per 1000 patient days.
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