Publications by authors named "Gregory Fosheim"

Data on the interaction between methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization and clinical infection are limited. During 2007-2008, we enrolled HIV-infected adults in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in a prospective cohort study. Nares and groin swab specimens were cultured for S.

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Animals on farms may be a potential reservoir and environmental source of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Expanded surveillance methods for animal-associated MRSA are needed. To develop an environmental sampling method and to determine the correlation between animal and environmental MRSA positivity in the farm setting, we sampled horses, cattle, and their local environments at several farms in the mid-Atlantic United States.

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Background: The USA300 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain, which initially emerged as a cause of community-associated infections, has recently become an important pathogen in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, its impact on patient outcomes has not been well studied. We evaluated patients with invasive MRSA infections to assess differences in outcomes between infections caused by USA100 and those caused by USA300.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Recent infection outbreaks in outpatient care, including a 2009 case where three patients developed severe MSSA infections after epidural injections, highlighted unsafe infection control practices as key risk factors.
  • - A study of 110 patients revealed that 8 (7%) had infections, predominantly among those who received epidural injections, with poor adherence to infection control protocols observed during procedures, such as inadequate use of face masks and reusing syringes.
  • - Genetic testing showed that MSSA strains from patients matched those of clinic staff, indicating that infection control failures likely contributed to the spread of the bacteria, underscoring the importance of strict infection control measures in outpatient settings.
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Background: In the past decade, new methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains have emerged as a predominant cause of community-associated skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs). Little information exists regarding trends in MRSA prevalence and molecular characteristics or regarding antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of S. aureus isolates.

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USA300 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates are usually resistant only to oxacillin, erythromycin, and, increasingly, levofloxacin. Of these, oxacillin and levofloxacin resistances are chromosomally encoded. Plasmid-mediated clindamycin, mupirocin, and/or tetracycline resistance has been observed among USA300 isolates, but these descriptions were limited to specific patient populations or isolated occurrences.

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This study characterizes 1,984 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates collected in 2005 and 2006 from normally sterile sites in patients with invasive MRSA infection. These isolates represent a convenience sample of all invasive MRSA cases reported as part of the Active Bacterial Core surveillance system in eight states in the United States. The majority of isolates were from blood (83.

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Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) strains have emerged in Uruguay. We reviewed Staphylococcus aureus isolates from a large healthcare facility in Montevideo (center A) and obtained information from 3 additional hospitals on patients infected with CA-MRSA. An infection was defined as healthcare-onset if the culture was obtained >48 hours after hospital admission.

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This study characterizes methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates recovered from nasal cultures of noninstitutionalized individuals in the United States obtained in 2001 to 2004 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Every tenth MSSA isolate and all MRSA isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), screened for multiple toxin genes, and tested for susceptibility to 14 antimicrobial agents.

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Study Objective: Staphylococcus aureus is a cause of community-acquired pneumonia that can follow influenza infection. In response to a number of cases reported to public health authorities in early 2007, additional case reports were solicited nationwide to better define S. aureus community-acquired pneumonia during the 2006 to 2007 influenza season.

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Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of infection, particularly in persons colonized by this organism. Virulent strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) have emerged in the general community.

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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and methamphetamine use are emerging public health problems. We conducted a case-control investigation to determine risk factors for MRSA skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in residents of a largely rural southeastern community in the United States. Case-patients were persons >12 years old who had culturable SSTIs; controls had no SSTIs.

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Context: As the epidemiology of infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) changes, accurate information on the scope and magnitude of MRSA infections in the US population is needed.

Objectives: To describe the incidence and distribution of invasive MRSA disease in 9 US communities and to estimate the burden of invasive MRSA infections in the United States in 2005.

Design And Setting: Active, population-based surveillance for invasive MRSA in 9 sites participating in the Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs)/Emerging Infections Program Network from July 2004 through December 2005.

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Our objective was to determine if a multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat assay (MLVA) for Staphylococcus aureus could predict pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types (i.e., USA types), thus allowing us to replace PFGE with a simpler and more rapid typing method.

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To determine frequency of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections caused by strains typically associated with community-acquired infections (USA300) among persons with healthcare-related risk factors (HRFs), we evaluated surveillance data. Of patients with HRFs, 18%-28% had a "community-associated" strain, primarily USA300; of patients without HRFs, 26% had a "healthcare-associated" strain, typically USA100.

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Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is increasingly recognized in infections among persons in the community without established risk factors for MRSA.

Methods: We enrolled adult patients with acute, purulent skin and soft-tissue infections presenting to 11 university-affiliated emergency departments during the month of August 2004. Cultures were obtained, and clinical information was collected.

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During the 2003-04 influenza season, 17 cases of Staphylococcus aureus community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) were reported from 9 states; 15 (88%) were associated with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The median age of patients was 21 years; 5 (29%) had underlying diseases, and 4 (24%) had risk factors for MRSA.

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Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of disease, particularly in colonized persons. Although methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection has become increasingly reported, population-based S.

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