Percent of people colonies by MRSA?

what is thepercent of people colonies by MRSA ( Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)

Approximately 32% (89.4 million persons) and 0.8% (2.3 millions persons) of the U.S. population is colonized with S. aureus and MRSA respectively. The proportion of healthcare-associated staphylococcal infections that are due to MRSA has been increasing: 2% of S. aureus infections in U.S. intensive-care units were MRSA in 1974, 22% in 1995, and 64% in 2004. There are an estimated 292,000 hospitalizations with a diagnosis of S. aureus infection annually in U.S. hospitals. Of these approximately 126,000 hospitalizations are related to MRSA.

colonies?

i don't know the exact answer, but i bet it is a lot more than 50%

Colonisation Areas
About 30% of the worlds population is colonised by Staph aureus. In Medical Hospitals the percentage is greatly increased, due to more contact with cases of infection. Staph aureus carriage is more likely to be MRSA in hospital populations, more amongst patients and Medical staff, than in the general community. This is because antibiotic-resistant bacterium are encouraged to develop by the use of antibiotics to treat ranges of infections in hospitals. That being said, Community Acquired MRSA - CA-MRSA is also on the increase, especially in countries like; The Middle East, Iraq and Africa.

Carriage sites of MRSA are most commonly in the nose and on the skin, especially in folds, such as the Axilla (armpit) or the groin area. A carrier of MRSA can be a source of infection for themselves. Self inflicted infection. Hip replacement and heart surgery are high risk situations and if pre-screening detects MRSA carriage, medical decontamination with skin and nasal treatment in an isolation ward is recommended before they undergo surgery.

Extract from: http://www.mrsamedical.com/