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During the 1960s in Denmark, the proportion of Staphylococcus aureus blood culture isolates that were methicillin resistant (MRSA) increased rapidly, from <1% to >30%. S. aureus phage type 83A was the dominant staphylococcal blood isolate during that period, and 70% of such isolates were multidrug resistant. By 1980, the proportion of S. aureus blood isolates with methicillin resistance had dropped significantly, to <2%, paralleled by a significant decline in S. aureus phage type 83A. Improved hospital hygiene and changes in antibiotic policy have been proposed as explanations for the reduction, but the exact reasons remained unclear.
To explore this issue, researchers examined the relative fitness of 40 phage type 83A blood isolates (with a…