Empirical treatment of influenza-associated pneumonia in primary care: a descriptive study of the antimicrobial susceptibility of lower respiratory tract bacteria (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, January 2007-March 2010).

Objectives: To determine the susceptibility of lower respiratory tract (LRT) isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae to antimicrobial agents recommended by UK guidelines for treatment of pneumonia associated with influenza-like illness.

Methods: Analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility data from sentinel microbiology laboratories in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was carried out. Subjects comprised patients who had an LRT specimen taken in a general practitioner surgery or hospital outpatient setting between January 2007 and March 2010.

Comparison of incidence of bloodstream infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus between England and United States, 2006-2007.

We compared incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infection (BSI) in the United States and England by using population-based surveillance. The incidence of community-onset MRSA BSI was 6.3-fold higher in the United States than in England, whereas the incidence of hospital-onset MRSA BSI was similar between the 2 countries.

Non-susceptibility trends among staphylococci from bacteraemias in the UK and Ireland, 2001-06.

Objectives: Investigation of the antibiotic susceptibilities and trends for staphylococci collected from bacteraemia cases in the UK and Ireland, from 2001 to 2006, as part of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy's Bacteraemia Surveillance Programme.

Methods: Twenty-five hospitals from the UK and Ireland each collected up to 10 consecutive isolates of both Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) per year from 2001 to 2006. MIC determination and identification to species level were carried out centrally.

Non-susceptibility trends among Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other non-fermentative Gram-negative bacteria from bacteraemias in the UK and Ireland, 2001-06.

Background: Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter spp. are important opportunists, notorious for resistance. Pseudomonas spp.

Non-susceptibility trends among Enterobacteriaceae from bacteraemias in the UK and Ireland, 2001-06.

Background: Enterobacteriaceae are common agents of bacteraemia, with Escherichia coli accounting for 20% of the cases. Reflecting this importance, members of the family constitute 4 of the 12 collection groups in the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) Bacteraemia Surveillance Programme.

Methods: MICs from the BSAC surveillance programme were reviewed, along with bacteraemia reports received by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) via its CoSurv/LabBase system.