Swine exposure and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection among hospitalized patients with skin and soft tissue infections in Illinois: A ZIP code-level analysis

These publicly-available, ecological exposure data demonstrated positive associations between swine exposure measures and individual-level MRSA infections among SSTI inpatients. Though it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions due to limitations of the data, these findings suggest that the risk of MRSA may increase based on indirect environmental exposure to swine production. Future research can address measurement error related to these data by improving exposure assessment precision, increased specification of MRSA strain, and better characterization of specific environmental exposure pathways.