Detecting methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: comparison of different phenotypic methods and the polymerase chain reaction

摘要

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have recently become the focus of intensive media attention. Over the past few years, national surveillance data and public health research have demonstrated that healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) take a major human toll on society. The overall morbidity and mortality associated with HAI are enormous. Some 5-10% of all hospital admissions are complicated by HAI in the USA and Western Europe.1 In the United States, an estimated 1.7-2 million people per year develop an HAI and nearly 100,000 die.2 Therefore, HAIs are among the top 10 leading causes of death in the USA.