Impact of ethnicity and socio-economic status on Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia incidence and mortality: a heavy burden in Indigenous Australians

Abstract

This prospective study identified more than 7500 Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) episodes occurring in population of 16,453,420 resulting in a crude annual incidence of 11. 2 episodes per 100,000 population. Overall Indigenous Australians were 5 .9 times more likely to have a SAB, especially community-associated MRSA episodes (29.2 times) compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Populations in the lowest SES quintile had an increased SAB incidence compared to higher quintiles. However, there remained a disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations across all SES quintiles. Thus our study provides robust evidence that Indigenous populations and lower SES populations are at increased risk of SAB. Furthermore, standard measures of SES do not explain the disparity in rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations.