CDC - SARS Epidemiology Modeling (Replies)

Several studies have analyzed attributable outcomes of patients infected with resistant bacteria who are compared to reference patients infected with corresponding, susceptible bacteria (1–32). We have conducted two studies, both at teaching hospitals. Study 1 (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA]) was conducted at Duke University Medical Center, a 900-bed tertiary care academic medical center, and Durham Regional Hospital, a 350-bed community hospital, both located in Durham, North Carolina. Study 2 (vancomycin-resistant enterococci [VRE]) was conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, West Campus, a 320-bed urban tertiary care teaching hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. In both studies, data were abstracted from various sources, including computerized hospital databases (e.g., accounting, administrative, infection control, and microbiology databases) and patient medical records and were compiled into a single dataset (Access, Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA). In both studies, organisms were identified from clinical specimens by using standard microbiologic methods that are in accordance with the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards guidelines. Exact methods of data collection, assembly, and microbiology are described elsewhere (33,34).