Predisposing risk factors for community-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection: a study in a teaching hospital

Abstract

The recent appearance of Community-Acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection in the context of ambulatory care and outpatient clinics in large metropolitan areas over all the world has attracted considerable interest from researchers in assessing the related epidemiological profiles. The present study aimed to identify potential predisposing risk factors of CA-MRSA infection using a case-control design. The epidemiological variables of patients diagnosed with CA-MRSA infection were compared to healthy controls. Data were collected from medical records and following univariate, logistic regression and forest plot calculation were performed. Smoking, HIV, trauma, congestive heart failure, recreational drugs, tattooing were potentially associated with an increased risk of community-associated MRSA predisposition. Dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus and vascular catheter carriers were potentially associated with a risk of moderate predisposition while atopy, practice of sports, recent use of antibiotics was associated with no risk of CA-MRSA infection. Hypertension and COPD were possible protective factors. Although the study of predisposing risk factors for the CA-MRSA infection is promising, future clinical epidemiological studies including new strategies are recommended to better standardize predisposing risk factors and to control to spurious associations.