Two Studies Feed the Debate on Active Surveillance for Methicillin‐ResistantStaphylococcus aureusand Vancomycin‐Resistant Enterococci Carriage: To Screen or Not to Screen?

[5] are but a few examples. Two of the more prominent antibiotic-resistant pathogens are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycinresistant enterococci (VRE). According to a recent report from the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance system of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MRSA accounted for nearly 60% of all nosocomial S. aureus infections in intensive care units (ICUs), whereas 29% of enterococcal infections in this population were caused by vancomycin-resistant species [6]. Infection with either pathogen leads to substantial morbidity and mortality, even compared with infection with their antibiotic-sensitive counterparts. MRSA infections have been associated with more prolonged hospitalizations, higher costs, and higher mortality than methicillin-sensitive S. aureus infections [7-10]. VRE, which is sometimes wrongly considered to be a minor pathogen, can also cause substantial morbidity. Bacteremia caused by VRE, after adjustment for severity of illness, is associated with higher recurrence, mortality, and excess costs than vancomycin-sensitive enterococcal infection [11-13]. Individuals can become colonized with