Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T00:29:17.541Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Increasing Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

John M. Boyce
John M. Boyce*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Miriam Hospital and Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
*
Division of Infectious Diseases, The Miriam Hospital, 164 Summit Ave., Providence, RI 02906
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In the period 1975 to 1981, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen in tertiary care centers in the United States. To determine if the prevalence of this organism has continued to increase, a questionnaire was sent to hospital epidemiologists in 360 acute care hospitals. A total of 256 (71%) of the 360 individuals responded. Overall, 97% (246/256) of responding hospitals reported having patients with MRSA in the period 1987 through 1989. Respondents in 217 hospitals provided estimates of the number of cases seen in 1987, 1988 and 1989. The percentage of respondents reporting one or more patients with MRSA increased from 88% in 1987 to 96.3% in 1989 (p = .0008). The percent of respondents reporting large numbers (≥50) of cases per year increased from 18% in 1987 to 32% in 1989 (p = .0006). Increasing frequency of large outbreaks was observed in community, community-teaching, federal, municipal and university hospitals.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 11 , Issue 12 , December 1990 , pp. 639 - 642
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Boyce, JM, Causey, WA. Increasing occurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the United States. Infect Control. 1982;3:377–383.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2. Haley, RW, Hightower, AW, Khabbaz, RF, et al. The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in United States hospitals. Possible role of the house staff-patient transfer circuit. Ann Intern Med. 1982;97:297–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Preheim, LC, Rimland, D, Bittner, MJ. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Veterans Administration Medical Centers. Infect Control. 1987;8:191–194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4. Jarvis, WR, Thornsberry, C, Boyce, J, Hughes, JM. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at children's hospitals in the United States. Pediatr Infect Dis. 1985;4:651–655.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Wakefield, DS, Pfaller, M, Massanari, RM, Hammons, GT. Variation in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus occurrence by geographic location and hospital characteristics. Infect Control. 1987;8:151–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6. Hughes, JM. Study on the efficacy of nosocomial infection control (SENIC Projecti: results and implications for the future. Chemotherapy. 1988;34:553–561.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Brumfitt, W, Hamilton-Miller, J. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . N Engl J Med. 1989;320:1188–1196.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8. Marples, RR, Cooke, EM. Current problems with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . J Hosp Infect. 1988;11:381–392.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Cookson, BD, Phillips, I. Epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . J Antimicrob Chemother. 1988;21(suppl C):57–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Lyon, BR, May, JW, Skurray, RA. Analysis of plasmids in nosocomial strains of multiple-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1983;23:817–826.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11. Ribner, BS, Landry, MN, Kidd, K, Peninger, M, Riddick, J. Outbreak of multiply resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a pediatric intensive care unit alter consolidation with a surgical intensive care unit. Am J Infect Control. 1989;17:244–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12. Hunt, JL, Purdue, GF, Tuggle, DW. Morbidity and mortality of an endemic pathogen: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Am J Surg. 1988;156:524–528.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13. Reboli, AC, John, JF Jr, Platt, CG, Cantey, JR. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak at a Veteran's Affairs Medical Center: importance of carriage of the organism by hospital personnel. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1990;11:291–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. Reboli, AC, John, JF Jr, Levkoff, AH. Epidemic methicillin-gentamicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a neonatal intensive care unit. Am J Dis Child. 1989;143:34–39.Google Scholar
15. Murray-Leisure, KA, Geib, S, Graceley, D, et al. Control of epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1990;11:343–350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16. Stewart, GT, Holt, RJ. Evolution of natural resistance to the newer penicillins. British Medical Journal. 1963;1:308–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17. Benner, EJ, Kayser, FH. Growing clinical significance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Lancet. 1968;2:741–744.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18. Churcher, GM. A screening test for the detection of methicillin-resistant staphylococci. J Clin Pathol. 1968;21:213–217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. Jessen, O, Rosendal, K, Bulow, P, et al. Changing staphylococci and staphylococcal infections. A ten-year study of bacteria and cases of bacteremia. N Engl J Med. 1969;281:627–635.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20. Parker, MT, Hewitt, JH. Methicillin-resistance in Staphylococcus aureus . Lancet. 1970;1:800–804.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21. Bulow, P. Staphylococci in Danish hospitals during the last decade: factors influrencing some properties of predominant epidemic strains. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1972;182:21–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22. Kayser, FH. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci 1965-75. Lancet. 1975;2:650–653.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23. Shanson, DC. Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . J Hosp Infect. 1981;2:11–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24. Ipsen, T. Gahrn-Hansen, B. Occurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a department of orthopedic surgery 1970 to 1986. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1988;7:400–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25. Bradley, JM, Noone, P, Townsend, DE, Grubb, WB. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a London hospital. Lancet. 1985;1:1493–1495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26. Portier, H. A multicentre, open, clinical trial of a new intravenous formulation of fusidic acid in severe staphylococcal infections. J Antimicrob Chemother. 1990;25(suppl B):39–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27. Coovadia, YM, Bhana, RH, Johnson, AP, Haffejee, I, Marples, RR. A laboratory-confirmed outbreak of rifampicin-methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (RMRSA) in a newborn nursery. J Hosp Infect. 1989;14:303–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28. Duckworth, GJ, Lothian, JLE, Williams, JD. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; report of an outbreak in a London hospital. J Hosp Infect. 1988;11:1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29. Law, MR, Gill, ON. Hospital-acquired infection with methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive staphylococci. Epidemiol Infect. 1988;101:623–629.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30. Casewell, MW. Epidemiology and control of the ‘modern’ methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . J Hosp Infect. 1986;7:1–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31. Saroglou, G, Cromer, M, Bisno, AL. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: interstate spread of nosocomial infections with emergence of gentamicin-methicillin-resistant strains. Infect Control. 1980;1:81–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32. Locksley, RM, Cohen, ML, Quinn, TC, et al. Multiply antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: introduction, transmission, and evolution of nosocomial infection. Ann Intern Med. 1982;97:317–324.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33. Shanson, DC. Johnstone, D, Midgley, J. Control of a hospital outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections: value of an isolation unit. J Hosp Infect. 1985;6:285–292.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34. Price, EH, Brain, A, Dickson, JA. An outbreak of infection with a gentamicin and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a neonatal unit. J Hosp Infect. 1980;1:221–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
35. Barrett, FF, McGehee, RF Jr, Finland, M. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at Boston City Hospital. Bacteriologic and epidemiologic observations. N Engl J Med. 1968;279:441–448.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36. O'Toole, RD, Drew, WL, Dahlgren, BJ, Beaty, HN. An outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. Observations in hospital and nursing home. JAMA. 1970;213:257–262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37. Ward, TT, Winn, RE, Hartstein, AI, Sewell, DL. Observations relating to an inter-hospital outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: role of antimicrobial therapy in infection control. Infect Control. 1981;2:453–459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
38. Hsu, CCS, Macaluso, CP, Special, L, Hubble, RH. High rate of methicillin resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospitalized nursing home patients. Arch Intern Med. 1988;148:569–570.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39. Storch, GA, Radcliff, JL, Meyer, PL, Hinrichs, JH. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a nursing home. Infect Control. 1987;8:24–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
40. Cederna, JE, Terpenning, MS, Ensberg, M, Bradley, SF, Kauffman, CA. Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in a nursing home: eradication with mupirocin. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1990;11:13–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41. Thomas, JC, Bridge, J, Waterman, S, Vogt, J, Kilman, L, Hancock, G. Transmission and control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a skilled nursing facility. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1989;10:106–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
42. Shanson, DC, McSwiggan, DA. Operating theatre acquired infection with a gentamicin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus: outbreak in two hospitals attributable to one surgeon. J Hosp Infect. 1980:1:171–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar