ABSTRACT
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) accounts for sig-
nificant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the United States,
S. aureus has been isolated from 14.5% of all health care-associated
infections (HAI) reported by acute care hospitals and other health care
facilities to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) over a
recent 22-month period (1). Over 50% of the staphylococcal infections
that were device related and 49.2% of the surgical site infections (SSIs)
had methicillin-resistant organisms isolated. Central line-associated
bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are the most commonly reported HAIs.
The overall proportion of S. aureus CLABSI in ICUs has increased
between 1997 and 2007 by 25.8% (2). Similar data are reported in Europe
where methicillin resistance was found between 2.2% and 92% of isolates
from ICU S. aureus HAIs (3). Even higher resistance rates have been
identified in a worldwide surveillance system (4).
