S. cities [8]. Waterborne transmission routes have not been traditionally associated with S. aureus infections. However, in some earlier studies, investigators in Hawaii reported cases of S. aureus infections associated with exposure to coastal marine waters [9, 10], with humans serving as the suspected primary source [11]. They also showed that these organisms are able to remain viable in seawater over several days [12]. Therefore, coastal marine waters used for recreation could provide a transmission pathway
for both colonization and/or infection of individuals. Previous studies have also identified S. aureus in recreational marine water [12, 13], and S. aureus and MRSA in sand [14–16]. In an earlier study attempting to quantify S. aureus release by humans in marine water [17], investigators showed that humans shed greater quantities of S. aureus than the fecal indicator bacteria GS-1101 research buy enterococci. However, this earlier study was limited in its methodology and criteria used to isolate and confirm S. aureus, and it did not address the potential presence of MRSA in the isolates. Furthermore, the study was also limited to an adult population, and it did not evaluate for S. aureus colonization of the human population studied. As recreational marine waters and beaches may be commonly used by many people over the course of a short
period of time, the risk of exposure to all microorganisms that are in this environment increases. Given that NSC 683864 price transmission of S. aureus (including MRSA) has Levetiracetam been documented in settings associated with shared facilities and close
contact, the use of recreational marine waters and beaches could certainly represent another possible route of exposure and transmission of these potentially pathogenic organisms and warrant investigation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the amounts, as well as the characteristics, of S. aureus, methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), and MRSA shed by humans into recreational waters and sands. In this study, S. aureus, MSSA, and MRSA shed from adults, and for the first time children, were identified using stringent selection and identification procedures. Methods The study was approved by the Florida Department of Health Internal Review Board (IRB 1491; DOH IRB Number, H07164) and the University of Miami Internal Review Board (IRB 20070306). Consent forms were signed by each study participant (or parent/guardian), and participant identity was kept confidential. The field experimental design followed that of Elmir et al. [17, 18], including the use of the same study site (a sub-tropical non-point source recreational marine beach). Pool field studies The “”Large Pool”" field study was used to determine the total amount of S. aureus and the distribution of S. aureus relative to MSSA and MRSA released from the bodies of adult bathers [17, 18].