A multi-centre study of nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Greece

All 105 non-replicate consecutive Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated in 1997 from seven Creek hospitals, were found to be susceptible to vancomyci n, teicoplanin and chloramphenicol, but only five (8%) were susceptible to all 16 antibiotics tested. Forty-three (41%) isolates were methicillin-resi stant, 58% homogeneously (homMRSA) and 42% heterogeneously (hetMRSA). Resis tance of homMRSA strains to other antibiotics was generally high (88-100%), although only one strain was resistant to netilmicin. Resistance in hetMRS A (6-39%) or in MSSA (5-11%) was significantly lower Consequently, the majo rity (76%) of homMRSA were multi-drug resistant, while the dominant phenoty pe of hetMRSA and MSSA was resistance to penicillin (50% and 76%, respectiv ely). Comparison of these strains with isolates from 1994 showed higher res istance rates to erythromycin among MSSA, to erythromycin and amikacin amon g hetMRSA and to rifampicin among homMRSA strains. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scienc e B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.