Clonal relatedness of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci in the haemodialysis unit of a single university centre in Greece.

Background: Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are frequently encountered pathogens in hospital environment. Dialysis patients, often carrying central venous catheters, are prone to CoNS infections. Methicillin-resistant (MR) staphylococci in hospitals are resistant to multiple antibiotics and may cause an overall increase in the incidence of staphylococcal infections rather than simply replacing the more susceptible strains.