Staph Hygiene Intervention for Eradication (SHINE)

Staphylococcus aureus (also referred to as “Staph”) is a germ that commonly lives on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. Some people with the Staph germ living on their skin or in their nose develop skin infections and rarely more serious infections such as pneumonia or bone or joint infections. Staph can be spread from person-to-person and infections sometimes occur in multiple members of the same household. Staph can also exist on household surfaces for prolonged periods of time. The SHINE (Staph Hygiene Intervention for Eradication) study is evaluating ways to interrupt transmission of the Staph germ among household members and prevent Staph infections.

The SHINE study will enroll households of children with recent skin infections to evaluate:

• Personal “decolonization” including antibiotic ointment (mupirocin) placed in the nose and body washes with a special soap (Hibiclens)
• Household hygiene measures

Who is eligible to be enrolled in the SHINE study?

• Patients aged 2 months – 21 years with an active or recent skin infection caused by the Staph germ.
• We are asking that all members of each household participate in the study.

Who is not eligible?

• Patients without a permanent home (e.g., living in a shelter or group home)
• Patients on dialysis and those with a central catheter or immunodeficiency
• Patients residing in a long-term care facility within the past year
• Families refusing home environment cultures by the study team
• Individuals unable to give consent or who do not speak English

What is involved in participation?

• The study team will come to your home for study visits 5 times over 9 months.
• Each participating household member will receive monetary compensation for their time as follows (totaling $120 for all 5 visits over the 9 month study):
  • Visit 1 $20
  • Visit 2 $20
  • Visit 3 $25
  • Visit 4 $25
  • Visit 5 $30

At the Enrollment Visit (which will last approximately one and a half hours):

• The study team will explain the research study to your household and each household member who wishes to participate in the study will sign a consent document.
• The study team will ask questions about your house and will collect samples from frequently touched household surfaces.
• Each household member will answer questions about his or her health, hygiene habits, and activities, have a saliva sample taken, and have culture swabs taken from the nostrils, underarms, and underwear line (or where the leg meets the body).
• Samples will be collected from the mouth and fur of indoor pet dogs and cats.
• Each household member will be asked to place antibiotic ointment in the nose and use special soap.
• Additionally, your household will be assigned hygiene measures targeted at the people and/or environmental surfaces in your household:
  1. Personal decolonization including antibiotic ointment placed in the nose and body washes with a special soap
  2. Household hygiene measures

All materials needed to complete the study procedures will be provided to you.

At each of the 4 Follow-up Visits (which will last approximately 60 minutes):

• The study team will ask questions about your house and will collect samples from frequently touched household surfaces.
• Each household member will answer a few questions about their health since the previous study visit and have culture swabs taken from the nostrils, underarms, and underwear line (or where the leg meets the body).
• Samples will be collected from the mouth and fur of indoor pet dogs and cats.