Staphylococcal infection in Malaysian hospitals

Staphylococcal infection is common in Malaysian hospitals. A recent survey of 22 Malaysian hospitals revealed that staphylococci were isolated from almost 40% of positive blood cultures. A more detailed analysis of such cases in our own hospital showed that almost 70% of Staphylococcus aureus and about 16% of coagulase-negative staphylococcal isolates were associated with clinically-significant disease. Staphylococcal bacteraemia was seen mainly in neonatal sepsis, skin and soft tissue infections, pneumonia, arthritis, osteomyelitis, endocarditis and postoperative sepsis. Multiply-resistant S. aureus were encountered in all the hospitals surveyed. Resistance rates to penicillin ranged from 40% to almost 100% while methicillin resistance rates of up to 25% were reported from several hospitals.