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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffBecause hospital and community strains of MRSA generally occur in different settings, the risk factors for the two strains differ.
Risk factors for HA-MRSA
- Being hospitalized. MRSA remains a concern in hospitals, where it can attack those most vulnerable — older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
- Having an invasive medical device. Medical tubing — such as intravenous lines or urinary catheters — can provide a pathway for MRSA to travel into your body.
- Residing in a long term care facility. MRSA is prevalent in nursing homes. Carriers of MRSA have the ability to spread it, even if they're not sick themselves.
Risk factors for CA-MRSA
- Participating in contact sports. MRSA can spread easily through cuts and abrasions and skin-to-skin contact.
- Living in crowded or unsanitary conditions. Outbreaks of MRSA have occurred in military training camps, child care centers and jails.
- Men having sex with men. Homosexual men have a higher risk of developing MRSA infections.
References
- Antimicrobial (drug) resistance: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/antimicrobialResistance/Examples/mrsa/overview.htm. Accessed March 16, 2010.
- Community-associated MRSA infection for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html. Accessed March 16, 2010.
- Archer GL. Staphylococcal infections. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/189395219-4/968689922/1492/1112.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50315-3--cesec33_13717. Accessed March 16, 2010.
- Antibiotic resistance: Questions and answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/anitbiotic-resistance-faqs.html. Accessed March 16, 2010.
- Wallin TR, et al. Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America. 2008;26:431.
- Freeman J, et al. Rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 16, 2010.
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