MRSA in Denmark

(from Statens Serum Institut, EPI-News, N023-2015)

‘The number of hospital­-acquired cases observed in 2014 increased to 95 from 52 cases in 2013, but still comprise only a limited share of the total number of cases (3%). The number of MRSA cases of the CC398 type, which is closely associated with pigs, increased substantially from 643 cases in 2013 to 1,276 cases in 2014 and comprised 43% of the total number of cases. Community­-acquired MRSA, i.e. in persons with no known contact to pigs, hospitals or nursing homes, comprised 946 cases in 2014, compared with 821 cases in 2013. In 478 of these cases (51%), there was known exposure to a person with MRSA, most frequently a member of the household (92%). In 56 cases, MRSA was isolated from blood, corresponding to 2.9% of all S. aureus bacteraemia cases, which is a substantial increase with respect to recent years, but the figure remains low compared with other European countries.’

And here I stop citing the report. For those interested in the complete report, please follow the link: MRSA Denmark.

The reason why I got interested in the news, is twofold.

1. The prevalence of MRSA in European countries seems to come closer together. While the “high-prevalence” countries show decreasing rates of MRSA, the ”low-prevalence” countries, such as Denmark, show an increasing trend.
2. The marked (and continuous) increase in LA-MRSA (CC398) causing clinical infections

While publications from just a few years back suggest CC398’s reduced ability to spread and cause infections, these data make me think, if many of the models and observational studies are (still) correct.