Human MRSA Infections Associated With Pig Manure Fertilizer

A new report published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that people who live in near pig farms or agricultural fields that are fertilized with pig manure have a higher risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.

The researchers analyzed electronic health-care records of patients who had received care from the Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System between 2005 and 2010 and focused on cases of two different types of MRSA, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) and health-care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA).

On examining the patients' proximity to pig farms or pig manure, the researchers found that those who were most exposed were 38 percent more likely to develop CA-MRSA infection and 30 percent more likely to develop HA-MRSA.



Source: Medindia