Lucado, Jennifer Lynn
(2008)
An Assessment of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Outside Hospital Settings in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infectious disease that has been a cause of nosocomial infections since the 1960s, but has more recently become an emergent disease in community settings. MRSA infections that develop outside hospitals have been associated with risk factors such as young age, recent antibiotic use, recent contact with health care, and dermatological conditions. To provide descriptive epidemiological data and evaluate potential risk factors, we undertook a case-control study of Allegheny County residents with laboratory-confirmed MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) cultures from January through August of 2007. A random sample of each group was contacted and interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Comparing 54 MRSA culture-positive residents to 50 MSSA culture-positive residents, we found that having a reported self history of MRSA (p<.001), having a household member or self recently having been in the hospital (p=.041), and having a household member or self recently having been in a community living setting (p=.032) were significant risks of having a positive MRSA culture. These findings have public health significance because as a greater number of people become infected or colonized by MRSA, the reservoir in the community will continue to grow, resulting in a greater number of infections and increased morbidity and mortality from the disease.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
27 June 2008 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Defense Date: |
11 April 2008 |
| Approval Date: |
27 June 2008 |
| Submission Date: |
11 April 2008 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Infectious Diseases and Microbiology |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
antibiotic resistance; CA-MRSA; community-associated MRSA; HA-MRSA; nosocomial infection; risk factors of MRSA; epidemiology of MRSA; MRSA |
| Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04112008-123143/, etd-04112008-123143 |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 19:35 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 13:39 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/7011 |
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