| Accession Number | <strong>00006454-200108000-00009</strong>. |
|---|---|
| Author | HUSSAIN, FARID M. MD; BOYLE-VAVRA, SUSAN PhD; DAUM, ROBERT S. MD |
| Institution | From the Department of Pediatrics University of Chicago Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL. |
| Title | |
| Source | Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 20(8):763-767, August 2001. |
| Abstract | Background. We previously showed that children attending an inner city pediatric emergency department were sometimes asymptomatically colonized with clindamycin-susceptible community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and borderline methicillin-resistant S. aureus (BRSA) as well. We wished to ascertain whether healthy children attending an outpatient clinic were colonized with these organisms. Therefore to estimate the prevalence of community-acquired MRSA and BRSA nasal colonization in a well child population, we cultured children attending an inner city pediatric outpatient clinic. Study design. This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted from January to August, 1999, at a primary care outpatient facility at the University of Chicago. The target population was 500 healthy children <=16 years of age who attended this facility to receive well child care. Results. One hundred twenty-two (24.4%) children were colonized with S. aureus. Three of the 122 (2.5%) S. aureus isolates were MRSA; they came from children who lacked predisposing risk factors and were susceptible to clindamycin, gentamicin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, rifampin and ciprofloxacin. Two (1.6%) additional S. aureus isolates were BRSA; both children had predisposing risk factors for MRSA colonization. The mecA gene was present in the 3 MRSA isolates and absent in both BRSA isolates. Conclusions. These data document that a reservoir of asymptomatic MRSA colonization exists among healthy children who lack traditional risk factors for MRSA infections. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. |