title: Molecular epidemiology of MRSA in 13 ICUs from eight European countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The European epidemiology of MRSA is changing with the emergence of community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) and livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA). In this study, we investigated the molecular epidemiology of MRSA during 2 years in 13 ICUs in France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxemburg, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surveillance cultures for MRSA from nose and wounds were obtained on admission and twice weekly from all patients admitted to an ICU for ≥3 days. The first MRSA isolate per patient was genotyped in a central laboratory by MLST, spa typing, agr typing and SCCmec (sub)typing. Risk factors for patients with an unknown history of MRSA colonization were identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 14 390 ICU patients were screened, of whom 8519 stayed in an ICU for ≥3 days. Overall MRSA admission prevalence was 3.9% and ranged from 1.0% to 7.0% for individual ICUs. Overall MRSA acquisition rate was 2.5/1000 patient days at risk and ranged from 0.2 to 8/1000 patient days at risk per ICU. In total, 557 putative MRSA isolates were submitted to the central laboratory for typing, of which 511 (92%) were confirmed as MRSA. Each country had a distinct epidemiology, with ST8-IVc (UK-EMRSA-2/-6, USA500) being most prevalent, especially in France and Spain, and detected in ICUs in five of eight countries. Seventeen (3%) and three (<1%) isolates were categorized as CA-MRSA and LA-MRSA, respectively. Risk factors for MRSA carriage on ICU admission were age >70 years and hospitalization within 1 year prior to ICU admission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The molecular epidemiology of MRSA in 13 European ICUs in eight countries was homogeneous within, but heterogeneous between, countries. CA-MRSA and LA-MRSA genotypes and Panton-Valentine leucocidin-producing isolates were detected sporadically.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands d.j.hetem@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hetem
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L P G
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Derde
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Empel
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mroczkowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orczykowska-Kotyna
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kozińska
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hryniewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goossens
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M J M
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bonten
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000382:microbiology