Integrating Personal and Household Environmental Hygiene Measures to Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection

Patients with active or recent S. aureus SSTI will be recruited from St. Louis Children's Hospital and community pediatric practices affiliated with the investigators practice-based research network. All participants (index patients and their household contacts) will perform a baseline S. aureus decolonization protocol for 5 days consisting of enhanced hygiene measures, application of mupirocin antibiotic ointment to the anterior nares twice daily, and daily body washes with chlorhexidine antiseptic. Following the 5-day baseline decolonization regimen, households will be randomized to one of three intervention groups: 1) Periodic personal decolonization performed by all household members, to include chlorhexidine body washes twice weekly for 3 months and application of intranasal mupirocin for 5 consecutive days each month for 3 months; 2) Household environmental hygiene, including targeted cleaning of household surfaces and laundering of bed linens, weekly for 3 months; and 3) Integrated periodic personal decolonization and household environmental hygiene for 3 months. Households will be followed prospectively (1, 3, 6, and 9 months following randomization) to measure the prevalence of S. aureus colonization in the participants, household environmental surfaces, and pet dogs and cats and to document the incidence of recurrent SSTI. Molecular strain typing will be performed on all recovered S. aureus isolates to illuminate transmission dynamics and the effects of the decolonization measures on genetic epidemiology. Lastly, the investigators will assess resistance to the prescribed topical antimicrobials at baseline and longitudinal samplings.