In a remarkable quirk of academic publishing, two virtually identical studies by separate research groups in the UK (one in London, and one in Cambridge) published a week apart have come to the same conclusion: that we are missing a sizable portion of MRSA transmission by focussing solely on wards in a single hospital. A referral-network level view is required for an accurate picture of MRSA transmission. (You may have seen some press about the Cambridge article, e.g. on the BBC here.)
referral networks
Everybody needs good neighbours (for sharing CPE)
BMC Medicine have recently published a study from researchers in Oxford, PHE, and Manchester illuminating the importance of referral networks in the transmission of CPE. The bottom line is that regional referral networks seem to be the most important driver of CPE spread, such that a small CPE problem close to home is more of a threat than a larger CPE problem in a distant referral network!
Reflections on Infection Prevention and Control 