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. 2016 Jun;144(8):1774-83.
doi: 10.1017/S0950268815003192. Epub 2016 Jan 6.

Health and health-related quality of life in pig farmers carrying livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

B A G L VAN Cleef  1 , B H B VAN Benthem  2 , E J M Verkade  1 , M M L VAN Rijen  1 , M F Q Kluytmans-VAN DEN Bergh  3 , H Graveland  4 , T Bosch  2 , K M H W Verstappen  5 , J A Wagenaar  5 , D Heederik  4 , J A J W Kluytmans  1
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Health and health-related quality of life in pig farmers carrying livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

B A G L VAN Cleef et al. Epidemiol Infect. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

There is limited knowledge about the effect of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) carriage on health-related quality of life (QoL). With this study, we explored whether LA-MRSA causes infections or affects health-related QoL in pig farmers. This prospective cohort study surveyed persons working on 49 farrowing pig farms in The Netherlands for 1 year (2010-2011). On six sampling moments, nasal swabs, environmental samples and questionnaires on activities and infections were collected. At the end of the study year, persons were asked about their QoL using the validated SF-36 and EQ-5D questionnaires. Of 120 persons, 44 (37%) were persistent MRSA carriers. MRSA carriage was not associated with infections, use of antimicrobials, healthcare contact and health-related QoL items in univariate or multivariate analysis, most likely due to the 'healthy worker effect'. Despite high carriage rates, the impact of LA-MRSA carriage in this population of relatively healthy pig farmers on health and health-related QoL appears limited; more research is needed for confirmation.

Keywords: Infectious disease epidemiology; methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA); public health; zoonoses.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Persons with problems on EQ-5D domains. EQ-5D, EuroQol 5 dimensions; Persistent: samples from all sampling moments positive; Non-carrier: all samples negative; Intermittent: the remaining persons; MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Prevalence of problems per dimensions were shown, with 95% Wilson confidence interval bars. No significant differences between different groups were found with Fisher's exact tests.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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