Researchers reviewed a Denmark national registry to determine if a history of Staphylococcus aureus infection in close relatives is associated with greater risk of infection. They found that the risk was indeed higher, especially if the family member in question was a sibling, as opposed to a parent.
According to the researchers, the increased risk is not because of direct transmission, because in 80 percent of the exposed individuals were infected with a different staph strain than that of their relatives.
More articles on staph infections:
MRSA detection technology earns first patent
St Jude’s researchers create new antibiotic to target bad microbes only
3 quality, patient safety indicators for treating staph infections
