title: Characteristics of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in infants and children without known risk factors.
abstract: This retrospective study sought to determine the characteristics of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections in patients younger than 18 years without known risk factors who were treated at a teaching hospital in central Taiwan. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected from medical charts. Possible risk factors included hospitalization within the past 6 months, transfer from other hospitals or nursing homes, and having underlying illness. A total of 173 isolates of community-acquired S. aureus were analyzed. Seventeen (9.8%) of these 173 isolates were methicillin-resistant S. aureus collected from patients without risk factors, 31 (17.9%) were methicillin-resistant S. aureus from patients with risk factors, and the other 125 (72.3%) were methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. Most isolates of community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus collected from patients without risk factors (14/17, 82.4%) were obtained from the infected wounds of skin or soft tissues. Only 4 (23.5%) in 17 patients with isolates resistant to methicillin were prescribed antimicrobial therapy with glycopeptides. Nevertheless, all patients recovered without any long-term sequelae. These results highlight the fact that community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections occur frequently in Taiwan among patients who have no established risk factors for this infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, China Medical College Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Tseng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects