TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS OF CA-MRSA AMONG HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS AND THE HOME ENVIRONMENT

描述（由申请人提供）：这个申请K23职业发展奖的申请提出了一个为期四年的计划，为候选人提供以患者为导向的研究指导培训，保护时间，以及高级流行病学，生物统计学和社区参与性研究的课程。候选人的长期目标是成为学术医学中心的独立医师兼科学家，研究社区相关的耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（CA- MRSA）的流行病学和驱动葡萄球菌传播的分子机制，从而开发预防和治疗CA-MRSA感染的新方法。拟议的工作将在华盛顿大学和圣路易斯儿童医院进行，由医学博士维多利亚·弗雷泽（Victoria Fraser）指导，她是一位在传染病流行病学方面取得成就的临床研究者。由经验丰富的临床和基础研究人员组成的教师咨询委员会将促进候选人的研究和职业发展。CA-MRSA的流行菌株在免疫能力强的个体，特别是儿童中引起显著的发病率和死亡率，范围从皮肤表面脓肿到侵袭性感染。CA- MRSA感染已被观察到聚集在家庭中。然而，家庭定植压力和传播、卫生和行为风险因素以及影响CA-MRSA定植和感染的环境污染的相互作用尚未明确。必须明确这些危险因素，以制定循证指南，阻断CA-MRSA传播并预防感染。了解这些变量的影响将为实践提供信息，以改善健康和减少CA-MRSA定植和疾病的负担。初步研究表明，CA-MRSA感染和定植指数患者的家庭成员也被CA-MRSA定植。一项为期一年的前瞻性队列研究将对135名CA-MRSA感染的儿科患者及其家庭成员进行研究。使用混合效应logistic回归模型，将阐明多层危险因素（包括家庭定植压力、宿主行为习惯和家庭表面污染）之间的关系，以确定CA-MRSA定植、感染和传播风险最大的因素。提出了三个综合的具体目标：1)确定一年内CA-MRSA定植和感染在儿科指数患者及其家庭接触者中的传播动态，并确定CA-MRSA定植对随后CA-MRSA感染的贡献；2)确定导致CA-MRSA在家庭内传播、定植和感染的卫生和行为习惯；3)确定环境污染和家庭特征在家庭CA-MRSA传播中的作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application for a K23 Career Development Award proposes a four-year program to provide the candidate with mentored training in patient-oriented research, protected time, and coursework in advanced epidemiology, biostatistics, and community-based participatory research. The long- term goals of the candidate are to become an independent physician-scientist at an academic medical center, investigating the epidemiology of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA- MRSA) and the molecular mechanisms driving staphylococcal transmission, leading to the development of novel methods for the prevention and treatment of CA-MRSA infections. The proposed work will be performed at Washington University and St. Louis Children's Hospital under the mentorship of Victoria Fraser, M.D., an accomplished clinical investigator in infectious diseases epidemiology. A faculty advisory committee consisting of experienced clinical and basic researchers will facilitate the candidate's research and career development. Epidemic strains of CA-MRSA cause significant morbidity and mortality among immunocompetent individuals, especially children, ranging from superficial cutaneous abscesses to invasive infections. CA- MRSA infections have been observed to cluster in households. However, the interplay of household colonization pressure and transmission, hygiene and behavioral risk factors, and environmental contamination influencing CA-MRSA colonization and infection has not been specified. These risk factors must be defined to develop evidence-based guidelines to interrupt CA-MRSA transmission and prevent infections. Understanding the impact of these variables will inform practice to improve health and decrease the burden of CA-MRSA colonization and disease. Preliminary studies demonstrate that household members of index patients with CA-MRSA infection and colonization are also colonized with CA-MRSA. A one-year prospective cohort study of 135 pediatric patients with CA-MRSA infection and their household members will be performed. Using mixed effects logistic regression modeling, the relationships among risk factors at multiple levels (including household colonization pressure, host behavioral practices, and contamination of household surfaces) will be elucidated to identify factors conferring the greatest risks for CA-MRSA colonization, infection, and transmission. Three integrated specific aims are proposed: 1) Define the transmission dynamics of CA-MRSA colonization and infection among pediatric index patients and their household contacts over one year, and determine the contribution of CA-MRSA colonization to subsequent CA-MRSA infection; 2) Identify hygiene and behavioral practices contributing to CA-MRSA transmission, colonization, and infection within households; and 3) Determine the role of environmental contamination and household characteristics in household CA-MRSA transmission.