Low Prevalence of Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Adults at a University Hospital in the Central United States.
Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) is potentially a new emerging pathogen with most strains susceptible to many antimicrobials except for beta-lactam antibiotics. We retrospectively reviewed MRSA isolates during a 20-month study period (January 1998 through August 1999) and investigated those that were clindamycin susceptible. Patients were not considered to harbor CA-MRSA if they had been admitted to a hospital within the preceding 2 years or if their isolate had been obtained more than 72 h after admission. There were 2,817 S. aureus isolates, with 1,071 (38%) being MRSA. Of these 1,071 isolates, 161 were clindamycin susceptible; these were recovered from 81 patients. Of these 81 patients, 20 appeared to have community-acquired strains, but only 2 could be confirmed as having CA-MRSA.
Infectious Disease Division, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois 60611.
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N
Suntharam
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D
Hacek
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LR
Peterson
D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002981:Clindamycin