Staphylococcus Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Staphylococcus, including details on mrsa, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

Epidemiology of staphylococcal resistance.

Shorr AF

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Clinic, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA. afshorr@mail.dnamail.com

An understanding of the prevalence of resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the risk factors for infection with resistant isolates is essential to help clinicians choose appropriate antibiotic therapy. Selection pressure due to prior and inappropriate antibiotic use of any kind seems to be the main driving force behind the increasing rates of multidrug resistance in methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains. Resistance to glycopeptide antibiotics in MRSA has also emerged in recent years, along with increased use of vancomycin to treat serious infections due to MRSA. Infections due to MRSA are associated with significantly increased morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay, and costs, compared with infections due to methicillin-susceptible S. aureus, despite adjustment for disease severity and initially appropriate antibiotic treatment. Improvements in the preparation and dissemination of antibiograms, along with adequate public reporting of MRSA trends, are needed to address the challenge of choosing appropriate initial antibiotic treatment for MRSA infections.

Published 22 August 2007 in Clin Infect Dis, 45: S171-6.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Staphylococcus Research Today. All Rights Reserved.