Table 1.
Recent MRSA Outbreaks and Prevalence in Correctional Settings
| Study | Correctional Population | N | Outbreak? | Specimen Collected |
S. aureus Prevalence (%) |
Proportion of MRSA From S. aureus (%) |
MRSA Prevalence in Population (%) |
Increase in Proportion of MRSA of S. aureus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowy, 2007 | 2 New York state prisons (Bedford Hills & Sing Sing), 2005–2006 | 487 | Yes | Nasal swab | 25.5 | 10.5 | 2.7 | – |
| 26 New York state prisons, 2006 | 60 | No | SSTI culture (68%), blood (8%), urine (3%), unknown (20%) | 100 (study included only positive S. aureus cultures) | 48.3 | – | – | |
| Pan, 2003 | San Francisco jail, 1997–2002 | 295 | Yes | SSTI culture (85%), urine (4%), blood (3%), other test sites (8%) | – | 54 | – | From 29% in 1997 to 74% in 2002 (p < 0.0001) |
| CDC, 2001 | Mississippi state prison, 2000 | 1,757 | Yes | Nasal swab | – | 4.9 | – | – |
| Baillargeon, 2004 | Texas prison system, 1999–2001 | 299,179 | No | SSTI culture | – | – | Incidence: 12 infections/1,000-person years; Prevalence: 327.9 infections/100,000 inmates | From 25% in 1998 to 66% in 2002 (14) |
| 336,668 | No | Unknown | ||||||
| Felkner, 2007 | Texas county jail, 2004 & 2005 | 403 | No | Nasal swab | 28.5 | 16 | 4.5 | – |
| David et al. 2008 | Cook County (Chicago) jail, 2004–2005 | 378 | No | SSTI culture | 94 | 84.8 | 79.7 | – |
| Farley, 2008 | Central booking intake facility (Baltimore), 2006 | 602 | No | Nasal swab | 40.4 | 39.1 | 15.8 | – |
| 23 | No | SSTI culture | 47.8 | 34.8 | – | – |
Notes: – =not reported; SSTI=soft skin or tissue infection