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MRSA, VRE and C. difficile prevalence rates identified in Canadian hospitals
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One in 12 patients who are hospitalized in Canada may carry or be infected with Clostridium difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, according to study results published online.
Andrew E. Simor, MD, of the department of microbiology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, in Toronto, and colleagues examined data from adult inpatients at 176 hospitals across Canada.
Andrew E. Simor
Findings of the study revealed that the median (range) prevalence rates for MRSA and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) colonization or infection and C. difficile infection were 4.2% (0%-22.1%), 0.5% (0%-13.1%) and 0.9% (0%-8.6%), respectively, according to the researchers.
“MRSA, VRE and CDI were thought to have been health care-associated in 79%, 96% and 84% of cases, respectively,” the study researchers wrote.
Hospitals with patients who were colonized or infected with MRSA and VRE and were given private rooms had lower rates and also better “environmental cleaning” rates, they said.
“The results of this study provide a much needed baseline for national prevalence rates of antibiotic-resistant organisms in Canadian hospitals. We hope that the data will inform priority-setting of resources required for control of resistance and stewardship of antibiotics. We also believe that additional studies are required to monitor trends in antibiotic resistance, and to better understand risk factors and effective interventions,” Simor told Infectious Disease News.
Simor and colleagues reported some limitations to the study; specifically that it was possible some cases were missed, and that the findings could likely not be applied to other populations, such as pediatric hospitals.
Andrew E. Simor, MD, can be reached at the Department of Microbiology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, B103-2075 Bayview Ave., Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada; email: andrew.simor@sunnybrook.ca.
Disclosure: Simor reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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