title: Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance Hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus Surveillance Programme annual report, 2011.
abstract: In 2011, the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) conducted a period-prevalence survey of clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospital inpatients. Twenty-nine microbiology laboratories from all states and mainland territories participated. Specimens were collected more than 48 hours post-admission. Isolates were tested by Vitek2® antimicrobial susceptibility card (AST-P612 card). Nationally, the proportion of S. aureus that were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was 30.3%; ranging from 19.9% in Western Australia to 36.8% in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory. Resistance to the non-ß-lactam antimicrobials was common except for rifampicin, fusidic acid, high-level mupirocin and daptomycin. No resistance was detected for vancomycin, teicoplanin or linezolid. Antibiotic resistance in methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) was rare apart from erythromycin (13.2%) and there was no resistance to vancomycin, teicoplanin or linezolid. Inducible clindamycin resistance was the norm for erythromycin resistant, clindamycin intermediate/susceptible S. aureus in Australia with 90.6% of MRSA and 83.1% of MSSA with this phenotype having a positive double disc diffusion test (D-test). The proportion of S. aureus characterised as being healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) was 18.2%, ranging from 4.5% in Western Australia to 28.0% in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory. Four HA-MRSA clones were characterised and 98.8% of HA-MRSA isolates were classified as either ST22-IV [2B] (EMRSA-15) or ST239-III [3A] (Aus-2/3 EMRSA). Multiclonal community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) accounted for 11.7% of all S. aureus. In Australia, regional variation in resistance is due to the differential distribution of MRSA clones between regions, particularly for the major HA-MRSA clone, ST239-III [3A] (Aus-2/3 EMRSA), which is resistant to multiple non-ß-lactam antimicrobials.
authors.affiliation: Australian Collaborating Centre for Enterococcus and Staphylococcus Species (ACCESS) Typing and Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, WA, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Geoffrey W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Coombs
authors.affiliation: Division of Microbiology, Pathology Queensland Central Laboratory, Herston Hospitals Campus, Herston, Queensland.
authors.forename: Graeme R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Nimmo
authors.affiliation: Australian Collaborating Centre for Enterococcus and Staphylococcus Species (ACCESS) Typing and Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, WA, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit and Microbiology Department, The Canberra Hospital, Garran, Australian Capital Territory.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Collignon
authors.affiliation: SA Pathology (Women's and Children's Hospital), Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, North Adelaide, South Australia.
authors.forename: Jan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Associated Infection and Infectious Diseases Control, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales.
authors.forename: Mary-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McLaws
authors.affiliation: Australian Collaborating Centre for Enterococcus and Staphylococcus Species (ACCESS) Typing and Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, WA, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Keryn J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.affiliation: SA Pathology (Women's and Children's Hospital), Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, North Adelaide, South Australia.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Turnidge
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents