[Current data and trends on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)]

Nosocomial infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a problem in hospital settings worldwide. The National Reference Centre for Staphylococci performs molecular typing on a representative sample set of MRSA isolates from German hospitals for assessing long-term trends thus following the dynamics of emergence and spread of MRSA clones. The article focuses on recent data concerning antibiotic resistance and epidemic MRSA in nosocomial settings and also reflects the impact of community-acquired MRSA and MRSA from zoonotic reservoirs. Identifying common and newly emerging clones is an on-going challenge in the changing epidemiology of MRSA and prevention of further spread needs molecular surveillance.