Abstract
Background. Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality. This longitudinal study describes significant reductions in hospital-onset SAB (HO-SAB) in Australian hospitals over the past 12 years. Methods. An observational cohort study design was used. Prospective surveillance of HO-SAB in 132 hospitals in Australia was undertaken. Aggregated data from all patients who acquired HO-SAB was collected (defined as 1 or more blood cultures positive for S. aureus taken from a patient who had been admitted to hospital for <48 hours). The primary outcome was the incidence of HO-SAB, including both methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillinsusceptible (MSSA) S. aureus strains. Results. A total of 2733 HO-SAB cases were identified over the study period, giving an aggregate incidence of 0.90 per 10 000 patient-days (PDs) (95% confidence interval [CI], .86-.93). There was a 63% decrease in the annual incidence, from 1.72 per 10 000 PDs in 2002 (95% CI, 1.50-1.97) to 0.64 per 10 000 PDs (95% CI, .53-.76) in 2013. The mean reduction per year was 9.4% (95% CI, -8.1% to -10.7%). Significant reductions in both HO-MRSA (from 0.77 to 0.18 per 10 000 PDs) and HO-MSSA (from 1.71 to 0.64 per 10 000 PDs) bacteremia were observed. Conclusions. There was a major and significant reduction in incidence of HO-SAB caused by both MRSA and MSSA in Australian hospitals since 2002. This reduction coincided with a range of infection prevention and control activities implemented during this time. It suggests that national and local efforts to reduce the burden of healthcareassociated infections have been very successful.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 969-975 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Clinical Infectious Diseases |
Volume | 59 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2014 |