The incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has increased sharply in Hospital District of Southwest Finland (HD). To understand reasons behind this, a retrospective, population-based study covering 10 years was conducted. All new 983 MRSA cases in HD from January 2007 to December 2016 were analysed. Several data sources were used to gather background information on the cases. MRSA cases were classified as healthcare-associated (HA-MRSA), community-associated (CA-MRSA), and livestock contact was determined (livestock-associated MRSA, LA-MRSA). Spa typing was performed to all available strains. The incidence of MRSA doubled from 12.4 to 24.9 cases/100000 persons/year. The proportion of clinical infections increased from 25 to 32% in the 5-year periods, respectively, (p </p
