The USA300 strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common strains of bloodstream infection-causing MRSA, according to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
Researchers gathered more than 4,000 S. aureus isolates from 43 medical centers nationwide and analyzed the epidemiological traits.
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Approximately half, 51 percent, of the isolates were methicillin-resistant. Thirty percent of those MRSA specimens were collected 48 hours after admission, suggesting the bacteria were acquired in the hospital.
Fifty-four percent of MRSA specimen sources were found in wounds or abscesses, 24 percent were found in the blood, 11 percent were found in the respiratory tract and 10 percent were found in another sterile site.
The USA300 strain in particular was the most common found overall and across all regions at 61 percent.
Additionally, multidrug resistant phenotypes were found in three percent of isolates from 18 states.
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