Family members of children with a staph infection often harbor a drug-resistant form of the germ, although they don't show symptoms, a team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found.
The study included 183 patients, ages 6 months to 20 years, with community-onset S aureus skin and soft tissue infections. Researchers also assessed their parents, siblings and other household contacts who spent more than half of their time each week in the primary home of the patient.
They found that of the more than 600 household members who lived with the children, more than half were colonized with S aureus. An additional 21 percent harbored MRSA, a difficult-to-treat form of staph that is resistant to common antibiotics such as penicillin and amoxicillin. Researchers concluded failure to identify all colonized household members may result in persistent colonization or recurrent infections.
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The study included 183 patients, ages 6 months to 20 years, with community-onset S aureus skin and soft tissue infections. Researchers also assessed their parents, siblings and other household contacts who spent more than half of their time each week in the primary home of the patient.
They found that of the more than 600 household members who lived with the children, more than half were colonized with S aureus. An additional 21 percent harbored MRSA, a difficult-to-treat form of staph that is resistant to common antibiotics such as penicillin and amoxicillin. Researchers concluded failure to identify all colonized household members may result in persistent colonization or recurrent infections.
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