Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus bacteraemia accounts for one third of Staphylococcus bacteraemia in a French university hospital.

Background: We sought to determine the epidemiological patterns of Staphylococcus bacteraemia, with a focus on the proportion of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) as compared to Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia, and the prognosis. Methods: All patients with significant Staphylococcus bacteraemia at the university hospital in Reims in 2008 were included in the study. Data were retrieved retrospectively from the patient records using a standardized case investigation form. Quantitative variables were compared using the Mann–Whitney U-test and qualitative variables were compared using Fisher's exact test or Pearson's Chi-square test, as appropriate. Bivariate logistic regression was performed on both S. aureus and CoNS bacteraemia. All variables with a p-value of < 0.15 were entered into a multiple logistic regression model. Results: CoNS represented 31.6% of all strains isolated. The methicillin resistance rate was higher in CoNS (66.1%) than in S. aureus (19.1%) (p < 0.0001). CoNS were more frequen...