NATIONAL SURVEY OF MRSA - IRELAND, 1995

The objective of this survey was to obtain an indication of the size o f the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) problem in Ir eland prior to introducing national MRSA control guidelines. A survey of all microbiology laboratories in Ireland was carried out over two w eeks in Spring 1995. For patients from whom MRSA was isolated during t he study period standard demographic and clinical data were requested and period prevalence/1000 discharges was calculated. All 45 microbiol ogy laboratories surveyed responded. MRSA was isolated from 448 patien ts during the two-week period. The period prevalence of MRSA was 16.5/ 1000 discharges. Males aged greater than or equal to 65 had the highes t rate (50/1000 discharges). Half of all isolates were from patients i n surgical or medical wards, but 4% were from community-based sources such as GPs, nursing homes and hospices. Thirty-two percent of MRSA pa tients were infected rather than colonized. MRSA is clearly a signific ant problem in Ireland. While it is largely a hospital problem at pres ent, the increasing trend towards day procedures and shorter hospital stay means that infection will increase in the community.