ABSTRACT
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are among the most common antibiotic-resistant nosocomial pathogens in health care in general and in critical care units (CCUs) in particular. Although discovered shortly after its introduction, resistance to methicillin was first reported in the United States in 1968 (1,2). Since then, MRSA have spread throughout the world and have continued to spread in the United States. In many healthcare facilities, 50% of S. aureus isolates are MRSA. In intensive care units (ICUs), MRSA now make up 60% of S. aureus isolates (3).
