MRSA UP IN DENMARK WHILE STABILISING IN EUROPE

1 December 2011

In 2010 close to 1100 new cases of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were found, the highest figure in Denmark since the seventies and an increase of 34% since 2009.

In 59% of cases a clinical infection was found, most often in the skin or a wound. Cases in hospitals were still of a low order, so the increase was most pronounced among community-acquired cases. In some cases the infection was thought to be acquired abroad, and in others - totally around 10% but up to 30% in certain areas - a connection with pigs was suspected. For this reason, there is a suggestion to include connection with pigs as a risk-factor for MRSA in Denmark. A better follow-up after treatment is also suggested in order to halt the spread in the community.

Other trends in the occurrence of MRSA in Europe bring hope that national efforts on infection control and efforts targeted at containment of resistance may in some cases bring the development of resistance to a halt, or even reverse undesirable resistance trends. Even though the proportion of MRSA among S. aureus is still above 25% in eight out of 28 countries, the occurrence of MRSA is stabilising or decreasing in several countries (EARS-Net 2010). Such control measures need to be increased and sustained as it appears possible to control MRSA spread.