Staphylococcus aureus Carriage in a New Zealand Primary School: A Cohort Study.

Asymptomatic carriage of Staphylococcus aureus is a source of transmission between healthy individuals. Seventy children at a primary school were swabbed 7 times to identify patterns of S. aureus carriage. S. aureus carriage prevalence was 53%-65% at each round and 45% carried at every round. High carriage prevalence may indicate that school-aged children are important contributors to S. aureus transmission.