Risk of Environmental Exposure to Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in Healthcare Programs

The opportunity for disease transmission increases with potential pathogen exposure. Environmental exposure provides an avenue for not only active infection, but also for bacterial colonization. Of the various bacteria that exhibit regular colonization in humans, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is of particular interest in healthcare. To determine the potential for MRSA transmission from public restrooms we cultured 72 sites within nine buildings on the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) campus. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in five of the nine buildings but was not significant for exposure risk (p= 0.07). However, MRSA was isolated in the Health Science Building and was determined to be an independent risk factor for pathogen transmission (p