MRSA may not need any control. There is no convincing evidence, despite a vast body of literature, that it causes greater morbidity than methicillin sensitive S aureus (MSSA), which is more prevalent. During 1983-6 one hospital in Essex found that the ratio of MRSA to MSSA among blood culture isolates was identical to that in all other specimens,4 indicating that methicillin resistance was unrelated to virulence. A London study in 1991 also found no increase in virulence.5 Other antibiotic resistant bacteria arouse far less interest. For example, methicillin resistant coagulase negative staphylococci are often resistant to many antimicrobial agents, are implicated …