title: Morbidity and mortality of an endemic pathogen: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: Over an 8-year period, two epidemics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) occurred in a burn unit. Sources of sepsis were the burn wound and lung. Fourteen percent of the patients colonized with MRSA became bacteremic. The mean postburn day of bacteremia was 19 and the mortality rate was 5 percent. MRSA was introduced to the burn unit when a patient was transferred from another unit, on readmission of a previously infected patient, or heavy burn census when MRSA was epidemic in the hospital. Although the morbidity rate associated with MRSA infections was high, the mortality rate was low. Gram-negative sepsis has continued to be more lethal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9031.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Purdue
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Tuggle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002053:Burn Units; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D008712:Methicillin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000150:complications; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D008712:Methicillin