Inference and control of the nosocomial transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Pei, Sen; Morone, Flaviano; Liljeros, Fredrik; Makse, Hernán; Shaman, Jeffrey L

Next we examined the topological features of the weekly aggregated contact network in Figure 1 -figure supplement 2D, which shows the number of patients in the giant connected component (GCC) and the entire contact network. While most patients belong to the GCC, there also exist many fragmented small connected components (CCs). The total number of CCs in the contact network is also presented in Figure 1 -figure supplement 2D. About 100 CCs coexist in the network each week, but the size of small CCs is usually below 200, as shown in the inset of Figure 1 -figure supplement 2D. Connections between different CCs change over time due to the transfer and readmission of patients. 128,119 patients were transferred from one ward to another during their stay, and another 280,506 patients were readmitted within one year of their previous discharge. These patient movements connect healthcare facilities that would otherwise be isolated in the network and are responsible for long-range transmission across multiple hospitals.