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Volume 16, Number 5—May 2010
Research

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage and Risk Factors for Skin Infections, Southwestern Alaska, USA

A. Michal Stevens, Thomas W. HennessyComments to Author , Henry C. Baggett, Dana Bruden, Debbie Parks, and Joseph Klejka
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Anchorage, Alaska, USA (A.M. Stevens, T. Hennessy, D. Bruden, D. Parks); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (H.C. Baggett); Yukon Kuskokwim Heath Corporation, Bethel, Alaska, USA (J. Klejka)

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Table 2

Staphylococcus aureus skin infections among study participants, by year, Alaska, 2000–2004*

Skin infection outcome MRSA carriers, n = 41 MSSA carriers, n = 85 Non–S. aureus carriers, n = 190 p value
MRSA vs. 
non–S. aureus MSSA vs. 
non–S. aureus
Skin infection rate, %
Year 1 56 32 30 0.001 0.77
Year 2 37 26 30 0.42 0.50
Year 3
 32
 21
 21
 0.15
 0.98
Cumulative % with >1 skin infection†
Year 1 56 32 30 0.001 0.69
Year 2 61 41 48 0.02 0.48
Year 3
 66
 52
 58
 0.07
 0.50
1st year of follow-up
Mean no. skin infections‡ 0.7 0.4 0.4 0.001 0.73
No. (%) with >2 infections§
 6 (15)
 7 (8)
 13 (7)
 0.10
 0.68
Entire follow-up period, 3.6 y
Mean no. skin infections‡ 1.9 1.2 1.1 0.03 0.60
No. (%) with >3 infections§ 13 (32) 13 (15) 24 (13) 0.02 0.72

*MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; MSSA, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. Skin infection rate per 100 persons in each of the 3 years; 2-sample Poisson test was used to compare skin infection rates.
†Comparisons made by use of Log-Rank statistic in Kaplan-Meier estimation of survival curve.
‡Comparisons made by use of Kruskal-Wallis statistic.
§Chi-square test used for calculation of p value.

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Page created: December 23, 2010
Page updated: December 23, 2010
Page reviewed: December 23, 2010
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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