Background: Bacterial strains that are oxacillin and methicillin-resistant, historically termed methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are resistant to all ß-lactam agents, including cephalosporins and carbapenems. MRSAare pathogenic and have a number of virulence factors that enable them to result in disease. They are transmissibleand important causes of nosocomial infections worldwide. An MRSA outbreak can occur when one strain is transmittedto other patients or through close contacts of infected persons in the community. Hospital-associated MRSA(HA-MRSA) isolates are also frequent causes of healthcare-associated bloodstream and catheter-related infections.Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) isolates are often only resistant to beta-lactam agents and erythromycinbut they are an emerging cause of community-associated infections, ecpecially skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI)and necrotizing pneumonia. Methods: Current possibilities for detecting MRSA strains in the laboratory are reviewed and discussed in thecontext of the recent literature.Results and Conclusion: The active surveillance and prevention of MRSA occurence and spreading in hospitals arediscussed in the context of recent literature.

Department of Preventive Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University Olomouc

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