Does Ascertainment Bias Affect Reports on the Incidence of Multidrug-Resistant, Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Infection?
Authors: Kenneth A. Katz, Kyle T. Bernstein, Jeffrey D. Klausner
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2008)

Letters1 July 2008Does Ascertainment Bias Affect Reports on the Incidence of Multidrug-Resistant, Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection?Kenneth A. Katz, MD, MSc, MSCE, Kyle T. Bernstein, PhD, ScM, and Jeffrey D. Klausner, MD, MPHKenneth A. Katz, MD, MSc, MSCEFrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA 94103.Search for more papers by this author, Kyle T. Bernstein, PhD, ScMFrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA 94103.Search for more papers by this author, and Jeffrey D. Klausner, MD, MPHFrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA 94103.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-1-200807010-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:In their population-based survey (1), Diep and colleagues report a higher incidence of a multidrug-resistant, community-associated, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clone USA300 infections in the San Francisco ZIP code that includes the Castro district, compared with San Francisco overall (170 vs. 26 cases per 100 000 persons, respectively) during 2004 to 2005. We are concerned that this finding reflects, at least in part, ascertainment bias rather than a true difference in disease incidence.Diep and colleagues defined cases of infection as clinical cultures other than nasal swabs that were positive for multidrug-resistant, community-associated MRSA USA300. Clinical considerations determined ...References1. Diep BA, Chambers HF, Graber CJ, Szumowski JD, Miller LG, Han LL, et al. Emergence of multidrug-resistant, community-associated, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone USA300 in men who have sex with men. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:249-57. [PMID: 18283202] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Weber JT. Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Clin Infect Dis. 2005;41 Suppl 4 S269-72. [PMID: 16032563] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Lee NE, Taylor MM, Bancroft E, Ruane PJ, Morgan M, McCoy L, et al. Risk factors for community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin infections among HIV-positive men who have sex with men. Clin Infect Dis. 2005;40:1529-34. [PMID: 15844078] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. HIV/AIDS Statistics, Epidemiology, and Intervention Research Section of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Annual Report. San Francisco: San Francisco Department of Public Health; 2006. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA 94103.Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEmergence of Multidrug-Resistant, Community-Associated, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clone USA300 in Men Who Have Sex with Men Binh An Diep , Henry F. Chambers , Christopher J. Graber , John D. Szumowski , Loren G. Miller , Linda L. Han , Jason H. Chen , Felice Lin , Jessica Lin , Tiffany HaiVan Phan , Heather A. Carleton , Linda K. McDougal , Fred C. Tenover , Daniel E. Cohen , Kenneth H. Mayer , George F. Sensabaugh , and Françoise Perdreau-Remington Does Ascertainment Bias Affect Reports on the Incidence of Multidrug-Resistant, Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection? Binh An Diep and Henry F. Chambers Metrics Cited ByCost-Effectiveness of Lay Responder Defibrillation for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest 1 July 2008Volume 149, Issue 1Page: 65KeywordsConflicts of interestHIV infectionsHealth careHealth care providersMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusPrevention, policy, and public healthStaphylococcal infection ePublished: 1 July 2008 Issue Published: 1 July 2008 CopyrightCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...