Risk factors for community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in Hong Kong

• Published in: The Journal of infection 2012-05, Vol.64 (5), p.494-499
• Main Authors: Leung, Yiu-hong, Lai, Raymond Wai-man, Chan, Allen Chi-wai, Lo, Janice Yee-chi, Ho, Pak-leung, Wong, Monica Man-ha, Chuang, Shuk-kwan, Tsang, Thomas Ho-fai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acne; Adolescent; Adult; Age; Aged; Antibiotic resistance; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child, Preschool; Community-acquired infections; Community-Acquired Infections - epidemiology; Community-Acquired Infections - microbiology; Drug resistance; Environmental Microbiology; Female; General aspects; Hand Disinfection; Historical account; Hong Kong - epidemiology; Hospitals; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infection; Infection Control - methods; Infectious Disease; Infectious diseases; Interviews as Topic; Inventories; Male; Medical sciences; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Sex; Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections; Staphylococcus aureus; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0163-4453; 1532-2742
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2012.02.009

Summary Objectives The risk factors for community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection were not well understood. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated with CA-MRSA infection in Hong Kong. Methods We carried out a matched case control study. Cases and controls were recruited from 14 acute public hospitals in Hong Kong. One control was individually matched to one case based on sex, age, admission date and ward location. We interviewed each case and control by telephone using a standard questionnaire. We used a conditional logistic regression model for multivariate analysis. Results We successfully recruited 127 pairs of matched case and control. We found that sharing of personal items with other persons had a higher risk of CA-MRSA infection (Adjusted matched odds ratio [aOR]: 4.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43–15.59). On the other hand, patients who had frequent hand washing practice (aOR: 0.21, 95%CI 0.06–0.72) and those who reported history of acne (aOR: 0.12, 95%CI 0.02–0.74) had a lower risk of CA-MRSA infection. Conclusions We concluded that sharing of personal items with other persons is a risk factor for CA-MRSA infection while frequent hand washing is a protective factor against the infection.