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Social and healthcare factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus resistance to targeted antibiotics

Tumin, Rachel Ann

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2011, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Public Health.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant cause of healthcare- and community-acquired infections. The emergence and spread of MRSA strains resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics has made successful treatment conditional on having detailed knowledge of the antimicrobial susceptibility profile. Medical factors such as a history of hospitalization or previous MRSA infections affect patients’ risk of developing an MRSA infection. Prior work in social epidemiology suggests that social factors likely influence which patients may contract resistant strains. I develop a theoretical framework in which the type of MRSA strain mediates the effect of individual and community level social factors such as gender, age, race, and residence location on the phenotype of antibiotic resistance. Using data on 798 cases from Ohio hospitals, I perform logistic regression to identify social and medical factors significantly associated with having a resistant MRSA strain (p≤0.05). Patients ages 45-59 years and patients age ≥60 years have increased odds of having a resistant MRSA strain compared to patients younger than 45 years (OR=2.12, 95% CI=1.03-4.39 and OR=3.27, 95% CI=1.64-6.45, respectively). After adjusting for medical risk factors associated with having a resistant strain, patient age ≥60 years (OR=2.44 95% CI=1.20-5.00) remains significantly associated with odds of having a resistant MRSA strain. In conclusion, prevention and treatment efforts targeting resistant MRSA strains should focus on populations of older adults and those with medical risk factors.
Kurt Stevenson, MD (Advisor)
Sarah Anderson, PhD (Committee Member)
Shu-Hua Wang, MD (Committee Member)

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Tumin, R. A. (2011). Social and healthcare factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus resistance to targeted antibiotics [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1311691184

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Tumin, Rachel. Social and healthcare factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus resistance to targeted antibiotics. 2011. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1311691184.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Tumin, Rachel. "Social and healthcare factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus resistance to targeted antibiotics." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1311691184

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)