title: Low incidence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in The Netherlands in 2009.
abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a worldwide problem in both hospitals and communities all over the world. In 2003, a new MRSA clade emerged with a reservoir in pigs and veal calves: livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA). We wanted to estimate the incidence of bacteraemias due to LA-MRSA using national surveillance data from 2009 in the Netherlands. We found a low incidence of LA-MRSA and MRSA bacteraemia episodes, compared to bacteraemias caused by all S. aureus (0.04, 0.18 and 19.3 episodes of bacteraemia per 100,000 inhabitants per year, respectively). LA-MRSA and MRSA were uncommon compared to numbers from other countries as well. MRSA in general and LA-MRSA in specific does not appear to be a public health problem in the Netherlands now. The low incidence of LA-MRSA bacteraemia episodes may best be explained by differences in the populations affected by LA-MRSA versus other MRSA. However, reduced virulence of the strain involved, and the effectiveness of the search and destroy policy might play a role as well.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infectious Disease Control Netherlands, RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. brivancleef@gmail.com
authors.forename: Brigitte A G L
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: van Cleef
authors.forename: Birgit H B
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: van Benthem
authors.forename: Anja P J
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Haenen
authors.forename: Thijs
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.forename: Jos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monen
authors.forename: Jan A J W
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kluytmans
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D058751:Livestock / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult