MRSA at Home for the Holidays

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a threat to our health because the potential infections are severe and effective antibiotics to treat it are failing, yet it’s a strain of bacteria that exists just about everywhere, including in our homes. How can we limit exposure, and what can we do to prevent catching MRSA? That’s what a recent study attempted to discover.

A group of researchers recruited 150 healthy children who had been treated for a staph infection from 2012–2015 for a year-long study. All 692 people who lived in the house more than four nights per week were also recruited. That also included 154 dogs and cats. To establish a base line, cultures were collected from three anatomic sites of household members, two anatomic sites on dogs and cats, and 21 environmental surfaces to detect S. aureus. Interviews with household members were also done—no interviews with the dogs and cats. Data collection was repeated every quarter for 12 months.

The objective was to see how many new strains of S. aureus were introduced into the household and how many were transmitted between household members. Here’s what they found:

There were 510 introductions of novel strains into households.

There were 602 transmissions within households in a variety of ways.

Frequent hand washing reduced the likelihood that a new strain would be introduced.

Those who were exposed to S. aureus were mostly renters and those who shared bedrooms with strain-colonized housemates.

Transmission occurred more between household members who shared towels. I don’t think many people share bath towels, but hand towels are widely shared at home. Giving all family members their own hand towel could quickly become unwieldy in large families.

Finally, pets were most often the recipient of the transmission of bacteria, not the transmitters. (Who’s licking their dogs and cats?)

All kidding aside, this study illustrates how bacteria can be introduced into our environment and how it can be passed person to person or animal. It seems the best thing you can do to limit the spread of MRSA bacteria is to wash your hands regularly. With the holidays upon us, more people entering our homes, and more visits to family and friends, that seems to be the simplest solution to MRSA at home for the holidays.

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What are you prepared to do today?