Survey of infections due to Staphylococcus species: Frequency of occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates collected in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Western Pacific region for the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program, 1997-1999

Between January 1997 and December 1999, bloodstream isolates from 15,439 pa tients infected with Staphylococcus aureus and 6350 patients infected with coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (CoNS) were referred by SENTRY-pa rticipating hospitals in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Western Pacific region. S. aureus was found to be the most prevalen t cause of bloodstream infection, skin and soft-tissue infection, and pneum onia in almost all geographic areas. A notable increase in methicillin (oxa cillin) resistance among community-onset and hospital-acquired S. aureus st rains was observed in the US centers. The prevalence of methicillin (oxacil lin)-resistant S. aureus varied greatly by region, site of infection, and w hether the infection was nosocomial or community onset. Rates of methicilli n resistance were extremely high among S. aureus isolates from centers in H ong Kong and Japan. Uniformly high levels of methicillin resistance were ob served among CoNS isolates. Given the increasing multidrug resistance among staphylococci and the possible emergence of vancomycin-resistant strains, global strategies are needed to control emergence and spread of multiply re sistant staphylococci.