European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System Research Articles

Too many ‘superbugs’

MOST STUDIES seem to agree that, whatever the cause, healthcare associated infections (HCAIs), as they are now called, have increased in the UK over the past 15 years. Nurses were first to raise concerns about this trend, back in the early 1990s, as they saw an increase in the number of patients with MRSA. It was much later that this worrying development was recognised for what it now is: probably the most serious problem facing the NHS today. According to the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (Earss), the rate of ‘superbugs’ is ‘alarmingly high’ in the UK. And two years after the landmark National Audit Office report showing that HCAIs cost the NHS around £1 bn a year and actually cause as many as 5,000 avoidable deaths, there is still a long way to go.

Resistencia a antibióticos en Staphylococcus aureus aislados de sangre en 31 hospitales españoles de la Red Europea de Vigilancia de Resistencia a Antibióticos (2000)

In 1998, the European Union funded the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System. We present here Staphylococcus aureus data in 2000 in Spain. 31 hospitals were involved, covering almost 25% Spanish total population. All nosocomial blood isolates of S. aureus were included. Each laboratory carried out microbiological studies with its own usual methods. Quality control was carried out by UK National External Quality (NEQAS). A questionnaire including hospital, patient and specimen data was filled out for each isolate. Results were registered in a single database and analyzed and validated with Whonet. 5 software. Invasive S. aureus was isolated in 903 patients. Overall incidence was 1.45/1000 admitted patients. Resistance was 28.1% (95% CI, 25.2-31.1) to oxacillin (O), 26.6% to ciprofloxacin (C), 23.8% to erythromycin (E) and 16.6% to gentamicin (G). Multiresistance was noticed in 80% oxacillin-resistant strains. More frequent multiresistance profiles were OECG (11.3% of all isolates) and OEC (6.3%). Oxacillin resistance was higher in ICU units (44.5%) than in other medical departments (27.4%) (p < 0.001). Hospitals with 500 beds or more showed 36.4% prevalence of O resistance, while in hospitals having less than 500 beds it was 18.8% (p < 0.001). A decreased susceptibility to vancomycin was not detected. In Spain, invasive S. aureus shows a high prevalence of resistance to oxacillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin and gentamicin. Most oxacillin-resistant strains were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Nearly 50% oxacillin-resistant isolates were susceptible to gentamicin. Oxacillin resistance and resistance to multiple antibiotics was more frequent in ICU units and in hospitals with 500 beds or more.

European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS): susceptibility testing of invasive Staphylococcus aureus.

Over 400 laboratories participate in EARSS (European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System) and send data to the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in The Netherlands. Data on about 14 000 isolates of Staphylococcus aure

Standardization and quality assurance for antimicrobial resistance surveillance of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus within the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS)

Standardization and quality assurance for antimicrobial resistance surveillance of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus within the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS)