Antibiotic resistance in staphylococci in Europe

Pan-European data on the antibiotic resistance of staphylococci are reviewed, mainly based on unpublished surveillance studies of the Paul Ehrlich Society for Chemotherapy. The prevalence of multiresistant strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) varied between European countries, but were generally lowest in northern Europe (<2%) and highest in southern Europe (>30%). Antibiotic resistance was more prevalent in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) than in coagulase-positive staphylococci, but the differences between countries was less pronounced. Although glycopeptide resistance in S. aureus has not been found in vivo, glycopeptide-resistant CNS strains already exist. Despite the growing awareness and clinical significance of MRSA and multiresistant CNS strains in recent years, resistance to penicillin did not change between 1975 and 1990, whereas resistance to oxacillin increased slightly and resistance to ciprofloxacin increased markedly.