Table 5.

Descriptive characteristics of students from Antananarivo, Madagascar, with respect to carriage of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

		Students (n = 685)
			S. aureus		MRSA
Variables	Total number (Na)	Student group (n)a	n (%)	p b	n (%)	p b
Previous hospitalisation	47	10	2 (20.0)	0.34*	0	1.0*
No previous hospitalisations	1479	663	78 (11.9)		6 (0.9)
Previous antimicrobial usec	493	183	19 (10.4)	0.99	1 (0.6)	1.0*
No previous antimicrobial use	919	413	43 (10.4)		4 (1.0)
Unknown	108
Skin infection	214	93	5 (5.4)	0.04*	0	1.0*
No skin infection	1300	576	75 (13.0)		6 (1.0)
Chronic illnessd	119	51	8 (15.7)	0.37	0	1.0*
No chronic illness	1358	586	67 (11.3)		4 (0.7)
Nursing at homee	486	83	9 (10.8)	0.77	0	1.0*
No nursing at home	1025	576	69 (12.0)		6 (1.0)
Living in dormatory	190	96	8 (8.2)	0.28	0	0.60*
Not living in dormatory	1306	549	67 (12.2)		6 (1.1)
Contact with animals f	764	347	41 (11.8)	0.91	2 (0.6)	0.43*
No contact with animals	784	338	39 (11.4)		4 (1.2)

^aFor available data

^b Pearson’s χ² test or * Fishers exact test

^cDuring the last 6 months

^d Chronic illness affecting the immune system

^e Nursing sick family members at home

^f Contact with pets and/or livestock such as cattle, poultry, pigs, sheep and goats