How common is MRSA?
MRSA can be carried on the skin or in the nose without causing any disease, which is called colonization . Approximately 25-30% of the population is colonized in the nose with staph bacteria at any given time; however, the proportion colonized with MRSA is not known. The exact number of new cases of MRSA infections in Oregon is unknown but the number of cases of MRSA in general is increasing. The Oregon Department of Human Services is currently running a surveillance project for MRSA to better understand MRSA infection patterns.
The proportion of staph infections that are methicillin-resistant has been steadily increasing, especially in the last 15-20 years. For example, a convenience sample of 18 microbiology laboratories in 1996 in Oregon showed that 11.5% of all staph isolates were MRSA; by 2003, a similar sample of 20 laboratories indicated that the percentage of MRSA among all staph isolates had risen three-fold to 38.6%. See also the CDC MRSA site for national statistics. MRSA can be carried on the skin or in the nose without causing any disease, which is called colonization. Approximately 25-30% of the population is colonized in the nose with staph bacteria at any given time; however, the proportion colonized with MRSA is not known. The incidence of MRSA infections in Oregon is unknown. Recently, the Oregon Department of Human Services began surveillance of invasive MRSA in the Portland area. Preliminary data from 2004 indicate that the incidence of invasive MRSA infections is approximately 26.3 infecti
