Improving surveillance of MRSA bacteraemia: Data from north west England support Oxfordshire findings

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7525.1143

BMJ 2005;331:1143 (12 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7525.1143

Letter

Improving surveillance of MRSA bacteraemia

Data from north west England support Oxfordshire findings

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Wyllie et al conclude that admission cultures accountedfor 24% of total hospital methicillin resistant Staphylococcusaureus (MRSA) bacteraemia episodes over seven years to March2004.¹ Data collected from five district general hospitals andone university hospital in Cheshire and Merseyside and one districtgeneral hospital in greater Manchester support this view.

This group of hospitals has collected enhanced MRSA bacteraemiasurveillance data using published case definitions from theDepartment of Health since April 2004. Anonymised data are collectedon paper forms and analysed using the FORMIC data capture system.

Credit: DR KARI LOUNATMAA/SPL

In all, 534 cases of S aureus bacteraemia were identified betweenApril 2004 and March 2005, 334 being methicillin sensitive Saureus bacteraemia and 200 MRSA bacteraemia. Sixty six of theMRSA bacteraemia cases occurred within 48 hours of arrival inhospital, 16 being related to a previous hospital admission,25 in patients known . . . [Full text of this article]

Judith A Bowley, consultant microbiologist

Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust, Southport, Merseyside PR8 6PN judith.bowley@southportandormskirk.nhs.uk

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