Internet queries and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus surveillance

Emerg Infect Dis. 2011 Jun;17(6):1068-70. doi: 10.3201/eid/1706.101451.

Abstract

The Internet is a common source of medical information and has created novel surveillance opportunities. We assessed the potential for Internet-based surveillance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and examined the extent to which it reflects trends in hospitalizations and news coverage. Google queries were a useful predictor of hospitalizations for methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Databases, Factual
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Internet*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / physiology*
  • Models, Statistical
  • Population Surveillance*
  • Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology*
  • User-Computer Interface