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Bridget M. Kuehn

JAMA. 2007;298:1389.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 138 words of the full text and any section headings.

Despite efforts to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the number of hospital stays for patients infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nearly tripled between 2000 and 2005, from 128 500 to 368 800, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The AHRQ's report, Infections With Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in US Hospitals, 1993-2005, draws on a national database of hospital inpatient stays that includes 90% of all hospital discharges in the United States (http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb35.pdf).

The number of hospital stays associated with MRSA infections has risen steadily since 1995, when the AHRQ reported 38 100 cases. The report did not distinguish between hospital-acquired and community-acquired MRSA infections, so it is not clear whether the growth in infections suggests a failure of preventive measures at hospitals or growth in community-acquired infections.

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