This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wang, J.-T.
Right arrow Articles by Chang, S.-C.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wang, J.-T.
Right arrow Articles by Chang, S.-C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2009, p. 2957-2963, Vol. 47, No. 9
0095-1137/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.00853-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Colonization by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus among Adults in Community Settings in Taiwan {triangledown}

Jann-Tay Wang,1 Chun-Hsing Liao,2 Chi-Tai Fang,1 Wei-Chu Chie,3 Mei-Shu Lai,3 Tsai-Ling Lauderdale,4 Wen-Sen Lee,5 Jeng-Hua Huang,6 and Shan-Chwen Chang1,7*

Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan,1 Department of Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei County 220, Taiwan,2 Graduate Institute of Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health,3 Graduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan,7 Division of Clinical Research, National Health Research Institute, Zhunan 350, Taiwan,4 Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan,5 Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Cathay General Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan6

Received 28 April 2009/ Returned for modification 13 June 2009/ Accepted 15 July 2009

In order to determine the prevalence of methicillin (meticillin)-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization among adults in community settings in Taiwan and identify its risk factors, we conducted the present study. For a 3-month period, we enrolled all adults who attended mandatory health examinations at three medical centers and signed the informed consent. Nasal swabs were taken for the isolation of S. aureus. For each MRSA isolate, we performed multilocus sequence typing, identification of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec, tests for the presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene, and tests for drug susceptibilities. Risk factors for MRSA colonization were determined. The results indicated that the MRSA colonization rate among adults in the community settings in Taiwan was 3.8% (119/3,098). Most MRSA isolates belonged to sequence type 59 (84.0%). Independent risk factors for MRSA colonization included the presence of household members less than 7 years old (P < 0.0001) and the use of antibiotics within the past year (P = 0.0031). Smoking appeared to be protective against MRSA colonization (P < 0.0001).

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan. Phone: 886-2-23123456, ext. 5401. Fax: 886-2-23958721. E-mail: changsc{at}ntu.edu.tw

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 22 July 2009.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2009, p. 2957-2963, Vol. 47, No. 9
0095-1137/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.00853-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»