BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmj.39373.465903.BE, (Published 23 October 2007)

Editorials

Community acquired MRSA in Europe

Prevalence is much lower in Europe than in the US but spread must be actively controlled

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

Infections caused by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were originally identified only in hospital settings. But new strains of MRSA have emerged and are now an important cause of community acquired infection worldwide,¹ and they often affect patients with no risk factors for acquiring a strain of hospital origin. A study just published estimates that 94 360 invasive MRSA infections occurred in the United States in 2005, primarily but not entirely related to health care.² In the study's surveillance sample, 58.4% of cases were defined as having community onset (cases with a healthcare risk factor but with a culture obtained 48 hours after hospital admission) and 13.7% were community associated (meaning that they started outside hospital and were not associated with health care).

Many isolates of community acquired MRSA produce Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL), a toxin that is not detected in MRSA infections associated with health care. The toxin destroys leucocytes . . . [Full text of this article]

INSERM, U851, Université Lyon 1, Centre, National de Référence des Staphylocoques, Faculté Laennec, Lyon F-69008, France

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