Eurosurveillance - Volume 5, Issue 3, 01 March 2000

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represents a major public health challenge in many health care institutions worldwide. It is a common cause of outbreaks of cross infection and has become endemic in many regions where it adds to the morb

The Dutch national policy for the prevention of spread of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has shown that it is possible to suppress and prevent MRSA from becoming endemic in hospitals. Implementation of effective measures against MRSA w

The prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Dutch nursing homes in 1998 was higher than that found in 1989 to 1997. The increased prevalence of MRSA could lead to colonisation outside these nursing homes. A study of the prevale

The prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in German hospitals has continued to increase, but the range of anti-microbials to which they are resistant has decreased. The trend cannot be attributed to changes in antibiotic consump

Over 400 laboratories participate in EARSS (European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System) and send data to the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in The Netherlands. Data on about 14 000 isolates of Staphylococcus aure