Absence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage or infection in a cohort of 300 men who have sex with men attending an inner-city sexually transmitted disease clinic in Paris, France.

Background: Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (caMRSA) skin and soft-tissue infections are a major cause for concern. Communities of men who have sex with men (MSM) in the USA being prone to caMRSA epidemics, we investigated whether MSM attending our sexually transmitted disease clinic were carriers of or infected by caMRSA.

Methods: 300 MSM were prospectively recruited, interrogated and examined. Swabs of their nares and of their pubic and perineal skin were taken and cultured.

Results: No evidence of carriage or infection by caMRSA was found. Nasal carriage of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus was within French estimates. Perineal carriage significantly correlated with the number of sexual partners.

Conclusion: Although caMRSA carriage or infection does not seem to affect Paris MSM, prospective sampling may not be the best method to monitor them. The correlation between number of partners and perineal carriage suggests that thorough hygiene after intercourse could limit the spread of S. aureus in MSM with multiple partners.