Important Infection Prevention Tip

The homes of many children infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be environments in which MRSA strains live on common household surfaces, according to an article published in JAMA Pediatrics.

That was the case for almost half of the children with MRSA infections in a recent study, in which researchers found MRSA most commonly on bed linens (18%), television remote controls (16%), and bathroom hand towels (15%).

S aureus had colonized in 6 (23%) of 26 dogs tested and 1 (7%) of 14 cats tested; 1 of the 6 colonized dogs had had a skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) during the past 6 months. In comparison, 4 dogs out of 33 noncolonized pets had had an SSTI in the past 6 months.

Of the 50 children, 20 (40%) had either a colonizing or infecting strain type that was concordant with an environmental strain recovered from a household surface. Surfaces most commonly contaminated with a concordant strain were:

• children's bed linens (8 of 41, 20%)
• television remote controls (8 of 40, 20%)
• bathroom light switches (7 of 41, 17%)
• bathroom hand towel (5 of 31, 16%)
• bathroom sink (6 of 41, 15%).

Interestingly, surfaces commonly perceived to be contaminated (such as toilet seats and door handles) were not major reservoirs of MRSA.

Steve: Make sure whomever cleans around your dwelling cleans these surfaces!