Global Implications of the Emergence of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Indigenous Populations

The emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Australia may have been facilitated by conditions in socially disadvantaged populations—particularly, remote Australian Aboriginal communities. The appearance of community-associated MRSA was first noticed in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical infectious diseases 2008-06, Vol.46 (12), p.1871-1878
Main Authors: Tong, Steven Y. C., McDonald, Malcolm I., Holt, Deborah C., Currie, Bart J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotics
Australia - epidemiology
Bacterial diseases
Biological and medical sciences
Communities
Community-Acquired Infections - epidemiology
Community-Acquired Infections - microbiology
Disease transmission
Epidemiology
Gene Transfer, Horizontal
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Indigenous populations
Infections
Infectious diseases
Living conditions
Medical sciences
Methicillin Resistance - genetics
Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus
Molecules
Native peoples
Population Groups
Review Article
Skin
Socioeconomic Factors
Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology
Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology
Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections
Staphylococcus
Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus - classification
Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects
Staphylococcus aureus - genetics
Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification
Staphylococcus infections
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Summary:The emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Australia may have been facilitated by conditions in socially disadvantaged populations—particularly, remote Australian Aboriginal communities. The appearance of community-associated MRSA was first noticed in Australia during the early 1980s; subsequently, several genetically diverse strains have independently emerged from geographically distinct regions. Molecular and epidemiological studies support the role of genetic transfer of resistance determinants (SCCmecIV) in this process. Conditions in Aboriginal communities—namely, domestic crowding, poor hygiene, and high rates of scabies, pyoderma, and antibiotic use—have facilitated both the clonal expansion and de novo emergence of strains of community-associated MRSA. Combating the worldwide emergence and spread of community-associated MRSA may require novel community-level control strategies targeted at specific groups, such as remote Indigenous populations.
ISSN:1058-4838
1537-6591
DOI:10.1086/588301