Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The number of people killed in the U.K. by so-called superbugs soared in the past decade as more bacteria became resistant to treatment, according to a report by the Office of National Statistics and the Health Protection Agency.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, killed 800 people in 2002, compared with 51 in 1993, the report said. The proportion of bacteria resistant to treatment rose 14 times during that period.

Almost 90 percent of deaths caused by the bacteria in 1993 to 2002 occurred in state-run hospitals, where MRSA is involved in 12 out of every 1,000 deaths.

``Preventing and reducing hospital infection rates and the main superbugs including MRSA is a key priority for the NHS,'' Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said in an e-mailed statement. ``We share this problem with other countries, but we are determined to be up with the best in tackling it.''

Staphylococcus aureus is found on the skin and inside the noses of about a third of all people. It can cause infections in those who are already sick and it tends to be more deadly in older patients.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rebecca Barr in London at rbarr1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 27, 2004 08:27 EST