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John D. Turnidge, High Burden of Staphylococcal Disease in Indigenous Communities, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 199, Issue 10, 15 May 2009, Pages 1416–1418, https://doi.org/10.1086/598219
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Numerous studies in the past 2 decades have recorded an apparently high rate of Staphylococcus aureus infection in so-called indigenous populations—in particular, a high rate of infection caused by methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (MRSA) [1]. Such problems have been documented among Native Americans [2], Pacific Islanders in Hawaii [3], Alaskan Natives [4, 5], aboriginal Canadians (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) [6, 7], Western Samoans and other Pacific Islanders living in Auckland, New Zealand [8, 9], and Australian Aboriginals [10]
In this context, the concept of indigenous populations stems from the modern histories of the United States, Canada, and Australia. These histories have many parallels, one of which is the displacement and resettlement of indigenous populations that had occupied these countries for the previous tens of thousands of years. These populations became the “Fourth World,” that is, the “Third World inside the First,” because their well being and health status have suffered as a result of their resettlement, often to remote communities and reservations. Notably, the infectious diseases burden in these communities has remained high or even increased, compared with that of the nonindigenous population, and it has contributed to a significantly shorter life expectancy. As a result, staphylococcal infections, both minor and serious, are a prominent part of the infectious disease burden in indigenous populations
