title: Susceptibility of staphylococci and enterococci to antimicrobial agents at different ward levels in four north European countries.
abstract: A multicentre susceptibility study was performed on staphylococci and enterococci isolated from patients at 3 different ward levels: primary care centres (PCCs), general hospital wards (GHWs) and intensive care units (ICUs), in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. There was a markedly higher incidence of resistance among CoNS in ICUs compared to GHWs and PCCs. Resistance rates were low among S. aureus isolates and no differences were found between the ward levels. Oxacillin resistance was found among 1.6% of S. aureus and 47% of CoNS isolates. 14% of CoNS and 0.9% of S. aureus isolates were glycopeptide intermediate. The prevalence of E. faecium isolates in this study differed significantly between the ward levels with the lowest prevalence found at PCCs. High level gentamicin resistant (HLGR) enterococci occurred in 11-25% of E. faecium and 6-20% of E. faecalis isolates. The HLGR rate was significantly higher among E. faecalis from hospitalized patients (GHWs and ICUs) compared to patients at PCCs. For enterococcal isolates, no other significant differences in antimicrobial resistance were found between the ward levels. All enterococci were teicoplanin susceptible, but decreased susceptibility to vancomycin was found among 2.0% and 0.6% of the E. faecium and E. faecalis isolates, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping Universitet, Linköping, Sweden. carcl@imk.liu.se
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Claesson
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hällgren
authors.forename: Maud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hanberger
authors.forename: Lennart E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Nilsson
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005060:Europe; D006757:Hospital Units; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents