Staphylococcus aureus, Including Meticillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, among General Practitioners and Their Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background The role of general practitioners (GPs) as reservoir and potential source for Staphylococcus aureus (SA) transmission is unknown. Our primary objective was to evaluate the prevalence of SA and community-acquired methicillin resistant SA (CA-MRSA) carrier status (including spa typing) among GPs and their patients in Belgium. The secondary objective was to determine the association between SA/CA-MRSA carriage in patients and their characteristics, SA carriage in GPs, GP and practice characteristics.