"Superbugs" ravage U.S., but not Europe.

• Position: Staphylococcus aureus infections - YOUR LIFE

Despite significant gains in limiting the spread of hospital acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the U.S. still has one of the highest MRSA rates in the Northern Hemisphere--putting it far behind other developed European countries. Nearly 52% of reported Staph samples in the U.S. are resistant to treatment with methicillin, penicillin, and closely related antibiotics, compared to just one percent in Sweden.

"By mapping the geography of resistance, we can better identify regions at risk for outbreaka. That allows us to look for solutions and pinpoint regions of the world where infection control practices have been particularly successful," says Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy's Extending the Cure project, Washington, D.C.

Other global trends include the finding that the U.S., together with Ireland, has the highest reported rate of the lethal and resistant microbe vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE). These infections often are passed from one hospital patient to another when health care workers fail to follow standard hygiene precautions, such as hand-washing. More than 20% of infections caused by VRE bacteria in the U.S. are resistant to vancomycin, a drug of last resort, compared to less than five percent in Canada and most of Western Europe.

Other key findings include:

* Two of the most common disease-causing bacteria--Escherichia coli and Klebsiella...