Superclones of MRSA 'caused epidemic in NHS'

Highly contagious clones of the superbug MRSA may be responsible for the UK's hospital epidemic, a scientist claims today.

Research says two versions of the bacteria emerged at the same time hospital infection rates began to soar.

Dr Mark Enright, of Bath University, says instead of focusing on cleaning, the Government should increase screening for patients with these strains, which are more infectious.

The Department of Health aims to cut rates of the bug's bloodstream infection by half by 2008. But Dr Enright said: "No one has halved a national MRSA rate ever. We should have clean hospitals but that is a sideissue to the MRSA problem."

He recommends isolating patients with the worst strains of the bug, clones 15 and 16, which account for 96 per cent of MRSA bloodstream infections. He said: "You might only need to isolate one in 10 MRSA cases to stop these outbreaks."