Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015
Over the past decade, large outbreaks of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections have occurred in correctional facilities across the country. Although many have been managed with aggressive interventions, response to standard infection control procedures has been variable, highlighting our incomplete understanding of staphylococcal transmission in this setting. Environmental contamination has recently emerged as a possible target for novel prevention and control strategies. This study sought to characterize the relationship between environmental contamination and clinical infection in this vulnerable population.
We conducted a case-control study of S. aureus environmental contamination at 2 New York State (NYS) maximum security prisons: Sing Sing (men) and Bedford Hills (women).