Norway reports increase in MRSA, VRE and carbapenemase-producing bacteria

Norway health officials (Folkehelseinstituttet; FHI) report the number of people in Norway infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria increased in 2023 compared to 2022.

The figures appear in FHI's annual report Occurrence of resistant bacteria and fungi with special significance for infection control in the Norwegian health service .

Carbapenemase-producing bacteria

The occurrence of carbapenemase-producing bacteria (CPO) has increased markedly in recent years. In 2023, 251 people were reported infected, compared to 180 people in 2022, and 68 people in 2021.

The increase in CPO is very worrying because they can cause serious infections, and we have very limited - sometimes none - effective antibiotics that work, says senior doctor Miriam Sare at FHI.

Image/CDC

The increase in CPO is probably due to a combination of foreign travel and migration to Norway from countries with a high incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Medical evacuation of patients from Ukraine to Norwegian hospitals has also contributed, says Miriam Sare.

MRSA

After a decrease in the number of people infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 2020 and 2021, which was probably influenced by restrictions in connection with the pandemic, there has been an increase. In 2023, 2,545 people were reported to be infected with MRSA, an increase of 25 per cent compared to 2022 (2,008 people). The number of people infected with MRSA is now back at the level of the years before the pandemic. The increase is probably related to trips abroad and migration to Norway.

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Resistant enterococci

A total of 151 people were reported infected with resistant enterococci in 2023, compared to 107 infected in 2022. There was an increase of 41 per cent from 2022, but lower than in the years before the corona pandemic. 

The incidence of resistant enterococci has varied from year to year due to outbreaks. Most, 86 people (57%) were infected with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), while 63 people (42%) were infected with linezolid-resistant enterococci (LRE). Previously, there were few people with LRE in Norway. From 2022 to 2023, there has been a worrying increase of 90 per cent in the number of people infected with LRE, with the majority (58%) reported as probably infected in Norway. 

Resistant bacteria are normally no more pathogenic than bacteria that are sensitive to antibiotics, but they are often more difficult to treat. Infections with resistant bacteria can cause complications in the form of increased morbidity and death.