The prevalence of asymptomatic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in school-age children

To investigate the prevalence of asymptomatic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in school-age children, we conducted a cross-sectional study. We investigated the prevalence of asymptomatic MRSA in children at a single, private school serving a low-income population in 2009. The school possesses Kindergarten through 8th grade classes. We excluded all children currently on antibiotics effective against MRSA and all children treated for a skin infection in the previous month. We sampled a single surface culture from both anterior nares. Each swab was then tested for MRSA utilizing a polymerase chain reaction test. We collected the following data on each child: age, grade, gender, recent abscess, current antibiotics, family member with a recent abscess, heath care worker living with student, and participation in sports. Our study included 87 school-age children (57% of the total population). The participants had a mean age of 9.5 years, 50.6% were female, 4.6% reported an abscess in the last year, 9.2% had a family member with an abscess in the last year, 26.4% had a healthcare worker at home, and 64.4% participated in organized sports. Six (6.9%) of the 87 children tested positive for MRSA. There was no significant difference between MRSA positive students and MRSA negative students for age, grade, gender, abscess in last year, family member with an abscess, healthcare worker in the family and sports participation. The prevalence of MRSA in asymptomatic school-age children was seven percent. Compared to other point prevalence studies, the prevalence of MRSA colonization appears to be rising.