The source of Staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections differs for community-onset versus hospital-onset infections, according to research presented at IDWeek 2014.
Researchers at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Canada, looked at records of patients with S. aureus positive blood cultures from 2010 to 2012. Just over half of the analyzed records, 54 percent, were community-acquired.
Clinical outcomes for both types of infections were similar, but researchers identified the sources of each infection were different. The most common source of community-acquired S. aureus was skin and soft tissue infections, while the most common source of hospital-acquired S. aureus was central catheters.
"Our study suggests the geographical place of onset is not determined by age, sex or resistance pattern and does not affect mortality," researchers conclude. "The main difference between the two entities is the source of infection."
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