Major reduction in hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in Australia - 12 years of progress: An observational study

Brett G. Mitchell*, Peter J. Collignon, Rebecca McCann, Irene J. Wilkinson, Anne Wells

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    43 Citations (Scopus)

    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 languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)969-975
    Number of pages7
    JournalClinical Infectious Diseases
    Volume59
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2014

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