The results of this large ECCMID survey add further weight
to our understanding of the opinions and practical experience
of European clinicians in the management of MRSA
infections. This has been an important survey for the review
of areas of practice for which there is little clinical evidence,
guidance of further research, and support of management
guidelines. The epidemiology of MRSA infection varies across
Europe and is continually evolving. In many areas, HA-MRSA
infection is decreasing, but it is still common. Inevitably,
there are differences in opinion and practice across such a
wide geographical area with varied epidemiology; nevertheless,
some common themes are apparent.
For the control of HCA-MRSA infection, common issues
were that MRSA colonization of the individual patient or
associated patients was a major risk factor for infection, and
the most common infections arose from intravascular lines
or soft tissue/surgical infection. There are therefore two
main areas of intervention that, if implemented across Europe,
would probably help to reduce HCA-MRSA infection
further. These are, first, improved care of intravascular lines
and their timely removal and, second, screening surgical
patients—and possibly all hospitalized patients—for MRSA
and, if positive, decolonization.
The survey identified a broad range of opinions regarding
the empirical treatment of MRSA infections. A significant
proportion of respondents would have given systemic antibiotics
in clinical situations where MRSA was a colonizer
rather than an infecting pathogen—such as in colonized
catheter urine, respiratory secretions, or superficial skin
ulcers. In principle, this should be discouraged in favour of
establishing a policy requiring clear clinical evidence of
infection before systemic antibiotics are administered. In
relation to this, the survey found that a small number of
respondents were prepared to use systemic antibiotics to
clear carriage in special clinical cases; however, again, this
practice should be discouraged. Most respondents considered
previous colonization with MRSA to be the major risk factor
for MRSA infection, thus again pointing towards screening
and decolonization as a means of reducing infection.
There was consensus of opinion on some key aspects of
the management of infections due to MRSA, including preferred
antibacterial treatments for MRSA pneumonia and
MRSA bacteraemia. Although glycopeptides remain the drugs
of choice for most serious MRSA infections, the responses in
this survey—along with consensus statements, evidencebased
reviews, and guidelines—all reflect emerging concerns
about the effectiveness of glycopeptide use in treating serious
MRSA infections, and the importance of identifying
where alternative therapies should be considered [5,8,16].
To optimize therapy, therapeutic drug monitoring of glycopeptides
is recommended for all patients. However, the frequency
of sampling and the need for dose adjustments varies
between patient groups. If there are no underlying diseases
and treatment is relatively short, one trough sample may suf-
fice to improve efficacy [227]. Favoured alternative treatments
were reported as linezolid and daptomycin, with the
former being favoured for pneumonia and the latter being
marginally favoured for bacteraemia. Various combination
therapies were widely used; as evidence is often lacking, this
is an area for further research.
There was also a broad awareness of glycopeptide MIC
creep, with a range of views as to which vancomycin MIC
level as determined by Etest was the cut-off for switching to
alternative therapy. An MIC level of ‡1.5 mg/L was the
favoured cut-off for considering alternative treatment.
Oral treatments and early oral switch for many MRSA
infections were perceived as appropriate clinical practice. A
wide range of oral agents was recorded by respondents,
probably reflecting differences in antibiotic susceptibility
across Europe. Linezolid and co-trimoxazole were the most
favoured, but many respondents used combinations of doxycycline,
rifampicin, fusidic acid and macrolides, clindamycin
and fluoroquinolones as guided by susceptibility. This is
another important area for further research, particularly in
establishing the efficacy and safety of older oral agents for
treating MRSA infections. These are often used in the
absence of a firm base of evidence, and often in the place of
newer agents, on economic grounds.
OPAT is another area with a need for further consensus
and guidance. The majority of respondents are unfamiliar
with its use or do not use it, preferring oral switch. The predominant
clinical indications for its use appear to be bone
and joint infection and complicated soft tissue infection.
There was surprising variation among the ECCMID delegates,
but not among the faculty members, on the duration
of therapy for the serious MRSA infections of bacteraemia
and pneumonia. The consensus is that 10 days of treatment
is a minimum for both, with 14 days being preferred.
This survey has been complex to implement and interpret,
and has several limitations, particularly with regard to the
fact that the epidemiology of MRSA infection is so varied
across Europe. The targeted survey population comprised
registered delegates to a large European congress on
infectious diseases and, owing to the limited sampling frame,
potentially knowledgeable individuals may have been
excluded. Although response bias is inherent in any survey,
the ECCMID survey achieved a response rate of 13%, which
is similar to that of other Internet-based surveys [8]. Despite
this, it represents the largest European survey of its kind.
This survey has been successful in identifying areas where
practice can be improved, where urgent research is needed,
and where pan-European consensus of opinion, although
imperfect, could be applied to European guidelines for the
management of MRSA infection.