Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-gvh9x Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-21T17:00:31.471Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Decline of Methicillin Resistance Among Danish Staphylococcus Aureus Strains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

Vibeke Thamdrup Rosdahl  and
Anna Marie Knudsen
Vibeke Thamdrup Rosdahl*
Affiliation:
Staphylococcus Laboratory, Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen, Denmark
Anna Marie Knudsen
Affiliation:
Staphylococcus Laboratory, Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen, Denmark
*
Staphylococcus Laboratory, Statens Seruminstitut, Amager Boulevard 80, DK 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

To describe the occurrence and decline of methicillin-resistant Staphylocococcus aureus in Denmark from 1966 to 1986, and to illustrate why it has been possible to retain a frequency of only 0.2% MRSA since 1984.

Design:

A study of antibiotic susceptibility and phage-type of 522,978 S aureus strains isolated from hospitalized patients in Denmark during the years 1960 to 1988 combined with clinical information on patients with methicillin-resistant strains during the years 1986 through 1988.

Setting:

All strains and information were collected at the centralized, national laboratory for S aureus phage-typing.

Patients:

Hospitalized patients with S aureus isolates, and especially patients with meth-icillin-resistant strains.

Intervention:

Antibiotic treatment.

Results:

The frequency of MRSA rose to 15% in the years 1967 through 1971 but decreased to 0.2% in 1984, and has remained so ever since. The increase was due mainly to the spread of a single or a few clones of the phage-type complex 83A. Occurrence of strains of these phage-types declined from 18% in 1969 to 0.6% in 1989. In 1986 through 1988, at least 48% of the MRSA strains were imported by patients from abroad. Cross-infection occurred only in two cases. High awareness and special precautions were taken when MRSA was detected.

Conclusions:

MRSA of a single or a few clones spread in Danish hospitals in the years 1967 through 1971. Since 1984, only 0.2% of the Danish S aureus population has been MRSA, and imported MRSA strains have been prevented from spreading. (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1991;12:83-88.)

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , February 1991 , pp. 83 - 88
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1991

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. Blair, JE. Williams, REO. Phage typing of staphylococci. Bull WORLD Health Organ. 1961;24:771–784.Google ScholarPubMed
2. Brumfitt, W, Hamilton-Miller, J. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . N Engl J Med. 1989;320:1188–1196.Google Scholar
3. Casals, B, Pedersen, OG. Tablet sensitivity testing. A comparison of different methods. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1972;80:806–816.Google Scholar
4. Ericsson, H, Högman, C, Wickman, K. A paper disk method for determination of bacterial sensitivity to chemotherapeutic and antibiotic agents. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1954;6(suppl 11):21–36.Google ScholarPubMed
5. Espersen, F, Nielsen, PB, Lund, K, Sylvest, B, Jensen, K. Hospital-acquired infections in a burns unit caused by an imported strain of Staphylococcus aureus with unusual multiresistance. J Hyg Camb. 1982;88:535.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6. The Significance of Phage-Typing Patterns in Staphylococci and Staphylococcal Infections. Easmon, CSE Adlam, C, eds. London, England: Academic Press: 1983.Google Scholar
7. Rosdahl, VT, Localisation of the penicillinase gene in naturally occurring Staphylococcus aureus strains. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand. 1985;93:383–388.Google ScholarPubMed
8. Rosdahl, VT, Frimodt-Moller, N, Bentzon, MW. Resistance to dicloxacillin, methicillin, and oxacillin in methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus detected by dilution and diffusion methods. Acta Pathologica, Microbiologia et Immunologica Scandanavica. 1987;97:715–722.Google Scholar
9. Rosendal, K, Jessen, O, Bentzon, MW, Büllow, P. Antibiotic policy and spread of Staphylococcus aureus strains in Danish hospitals, 1969-1974. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1977;55:143–152.Google Scholar
10. deSaxe, MJ, Notley, CM. Experiences with the phage-typing of coagulase-negative staphylococci. Zbl Bakt Hyg. 1978;241:46–59.Google Scholar
11. Thomsen, VF, Correlation of the plate-dilution method to the agar diffusion method (disc and tablet methods) with a special view to the importance of pre-diffusion. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1962;54:107–120.10.1111/j.1699-0463.1962.tb01228.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
12. Thomsen, VF. The relation between inoculum and zone size in sensitivity tests by the agar diffusion method. With a specialview to the importance of prediffusion. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1964;61:303–316.10.1111/apm.1964.61.2.303CrossRefGoogle Scholar