Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections
Summary
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a leading cause of healthcare- and community-associated infections worldwide. Originally confined to hospitals, MRSA has diversified into distinct lineages adapted to both inpatient and outpatient settings. Hospital-acquired strains often carry large resistance cassettes and thrive in intensive-care environments, whereas community-associated strains tend to harbour smaller genetic elements, enhanced virulence factors and spread through crowded or resource-limited populations. Incidence varies geographically, reflecting differences in infection control, antibiotic stewardship and social determinants such as overcrowding, socioeconomic deprivation and healthcare access. Surveillance data reveal persistent burdens of bloodstream and wound infections, with both paediatric and adult populations affected. Epidemiological studies document shifting hotspots, including increasing MRSA colonisation among marginalised groups, and underscore the role of molecular typing in tracking outbreaks. Despite declines in some hospital settings, community transmission continues to fuel disease, requiring integrated prevention strategies that combine rapid diagnostics, targeted decolonisation and public health interventions to curb further spread.
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Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in epidemiology of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
MRSA: A strain of S. aureus resistant to methicillin and related beta-lactam antibiotics due to acquisition of the mecA gene.
Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA): Lineages emerging outside hospitals, often carrying smaller resistance elements and enhanced toxins.
Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA): Strains predominantly transmitted in healthcare facilities, frequently multidrug resistant.
Antibiotic stewardship: Coordinated interventions to optimise antibiotic use, minimise resistance and improve patient outcomes.
Genotyping homology analysis: Molecular methods (e.g. RAPD-PCR) to determine genetic relatedness among bacterial isolates.
References
- Retrospective Study on Staphylococcus aureus Resistance Profile and Antibiotic Use in a Pediatric Population. Antibiotics (2023).
- Clinical characteristics and homology analysis of Staphylococcus aureus from would infection at a tertiary hospital in southern Zhejiang, China. BMC Microbiology (2023).
- The Prevalence, Risk, and Management of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection in Diverse Populations across Canada: A Systematic Review. Pathogens (2021).
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