Free

E-Newsletters

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Because 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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Wallin TR, et al. Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America. 2008;26:431.
  6. Freeman J, et al. Rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 16, 2010.
DS00735 May 29, 2010

© 1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Reprints
  • Print
  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger