National hospital infection surveillance on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Surveillance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in Japan was performed in 1995 and 1996. Hospital infection rates of MRSA appear to have remained stable in recent years, and this study was undertaken to test this hypothesis. In national surveillance, the incidence of MRSA hospital infections per 100 admissions remained stable at between 0.7 and 0.8 from 1999 to 2003, with a tendency towards a slight decline. This study shows that precautions against MRSA infection in Japan may prove to be an effective preventive measure.