title: Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a cause of musculoskeletal sepsis in children.
abstract: Between August 1996 and August 1997, 130 children were admitted to our pediatric orthopaedic unit with Staphylococcus aureus musculoskeletal infection. Twenty-six of the 130 staphylococcal isolates were resistant to methicillin, an incidence of 20%. All but one of the infections, a femoral fixator-pin infection, were community-acquired. Twenty-two of the infections were superficial; however, there were four cases of deep musculoskeletal sepsis due to methicillin-resistant S. aureus. In areas where methicillin-resistant S. aureus is prevalent in the community, methicillin resistance should be considered in any overwhelming staphylococcal infection not responding to conventional antibiotics despite adequate surgical debridement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Gwynne-Jones
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Stott
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*