MRSA infections among patients in the emergency department: A European multicentre study

C. Bouchiat*, S. Curtis, I. Spiliopoulou, M. Bes, C. Cocuzza, I. Codita, C. Dupieux, N. Giormezis, A. Kearns, F. Laurent, S. Molinos, R. Musumeci, C. Prat, M. Saadatian-Elahi, E. Tacconelli, A. Tristan, B. Schulte, F. Vandenesch, Olivier Monneuse, Toni de FranciscoPietro Casella, Serena Erbizzoni, Sara Melzi, Davide Oggioni, Roberta Sala, Enrico Calaresu, Petinaki Efthimia, Marangos Markos, Efthimia Petinaki, Wiebke Schroeder,

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

37 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: MRSA is a therapeutic concern worldwide, and a major agent of community-acquired skin and soft tissue infections (CA-SSTIs). While the US epidemiology of MRSA in CA-SSTIs is well described and reports the high prevalence of the USA300 clone, data on the European situation are lacking. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and clonal characteristics of MRSA in CA-SSTIs in seven European emergency departments. Patients and methods: From April to June 2015, patients presenting to the tertiary hospital emergency department with a Staphylococcus aureus CA-SSTI were prospectively enrolled. S. aureus isolates were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, detection of Panton-Valentine leucocidin encoding genes and spa-typing, MLST and/or DNA microarray. Results: Two-hundred and five cases of S. aureus-associated CA-SSTIs were included, comprising folliculitis, furuncles, abscesses, paronychia, impetigo, carbuncles and cellulitis. Of the 205 cases, we report an MRSA prevalence rate of 15.1%, with a north (0%) to south (29%) increasing gradient. Fifty-one isolates were Panton-Valentine leucocidin-positive (24.9%), whether MSSA or MRSA, with a heterogeneous distribution between countries. Clonal distribution of MSSA and MRSA showed high diversity, with no predominant circulating clone and no archetypical USA300 CA-MRSA clone. Conclusions: This original prospective multicentre study highlights stark differences in European MRSA epidemiology compared with the USA, and that the USA300 CA-MRSA clone is not predominant among communityinfected patients in Europe.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)372-375
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Volume72
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2017
Externally publishedYes

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