Hospital and Nursing Home Residents at Greatest Risk for MRSA Infections

Dan Frith

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A study released earlier this week suggests that most invasive, severe disease from MRSA infection is associated with health care delivery and occurs in people with underlying illness. The study's publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association coincided with news accounts of MRSA infections in schools around the nation, often among student athletes.

The MRSA study suggests the pathogen may have been associated with more than 94,000 serious infections nationwide in 2005 and nearly 19,000 deaths. The study focused on invasive MRSA infections -- those that spread to normally sterile areas such as the blood, joints or organs. Based on data collected from nine sites, researchers estimated that the infections were linked to more deaths in 2005 than those associated with the AIDS virus.

The most important aspect of the study was the conclusion that 85 percent of invasive infections were associated with health care treatment, such as a recent stay in a hospital or nursing home. Nursing homes and hospitals should be reacting quickly and aggressively to any signs of the MRSA infection in their patients.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.