Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Colonization in the United States, 2001–2002
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of disease, particularly in colonized persons. Although methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection has become increasingly reported, population-based S. aureus and MRSA colonization estimates are lacking. METHODS: Nasal samples for S. aureus culture and sociodemographic data were obtained from 9622 persons > or = 1 year old as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2002. After screening for oxacillin susceptibility, MRSA and selected methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis clonal type, toxin genes (e.g., for Panton-Valentine leukocidin [PVL]), and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type I-IV genes. RESULTS: For 2001-2002, national S. aureus and MRSA colonization prevalence estimates were 32.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 30.7%-34.1%) and 0.8% (95% CI, 0.4%-1.4%), respectively, and population estimates were 89.4 million persons (95% CI, 84.8-94.1 million persons) and 2.3 million persons (95% CI, 1.2-3.8 million persons), respectively. S. aureus colonization prevalence was highest in participants 6-11 years old. MRSA colonization was associated with age > or = 60 years and being female but not with recent health-care exposure. In unweighted analyses, the SCCmec type IV gene was more frequent in isolates from participants of younger age and of non-Hispanic black race/ethnicity; the PVL gene was present in 9 (2.4%) of 372 of isolates tested. CONCLUSIONS: Many persons in the United States are colonized with S. aureus; prevalence rates differ demographically. MRSA colonization prevalence, although low nationally in 2001-2002, may vary with demographic and organism characteristics.
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S. aureus colonizes the anterior nares of about 30% of people.
“Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive coccoid bacterium that innocuously colonizes the anterior nares of approximately 30% of the human population [1].”
From A battle for iron: host sequestration and Staphylococcus aureus acquisition (2012) · cites this paper as [1]
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- Authors
- Kuehnert, M. J., Kruszon‐Moran, D., Hill, H. A., McQuillan, G., McAllister, S. K., Fosheim, G., McDougal, L. K., Chaitram, J., Jensen, B., Fridkin, S. K., Killgore, G., & Tenover, F. C.
- Affiliations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kuehnert, Matthew J.
- Venue
- The Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2006-01-15
- Volume
- 193
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 172-179
- ISSN
- 0022-1899 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-6613
- OpenAlex
- W2161096815
- Cited by
- 659
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 49 · 2013: 51 · 2012: 44
- FWCI
- 27.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Infectious Diseases (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology › Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Otolaryngology and Infectious Diseases
- Keywords
- Staphylococcus aureus, nasal carriage, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, population estimates, antimicrobial susceptibility, SCCmec typing, Panton-Valentine leukocidin, age and sex differences, NHANES
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Bacterial Toxins, Carrier State, Child, Child, Preschool, DNA, Bacterial, Ethnicity, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Middle Aged, Nose, Sex Factors, Socioeconomic Factors, Staphylococcal Infections, Staphylococcus aureus, United States, Prevalence, Methicillin Resistance, DNA Fingerprinting, Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field, Community-Acquired Infections, Molecular Epidemiology
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