title: [Postsurgery meningitis by Staphylococcus aureus: comparison between methicillin-sensitive and resistant strains].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In recent years, meningitis caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus has increased. This study was undertaken to compare the clinical characteristics and prognosis of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) postneurosurgical meningitis and methicillin-sensible S. aureus (MSSA) postneurosurgical meningitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five episodes of postneurosurgical meningitis due to S. aureus (13 methicillin-resistant strains) seen during a ten-year period were retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most common underlying diseases were: intracerebral hemorrhage (50% of MRSA patients and 46% of MSSA patients) and neoplasm (53% of MRSA patients and 33% of MSSA patients). Eleven patients (6 of them with MRSA infection) had received antibiotic treatment previously. Thirteen patients were carriers of intraventricular catheters (8 with MRSA infection), 5 wore a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (4 with infections by MSSA), 5 cases had a CSF leakage (4 with infections by MRSA), and one patient with infection by MSSA wore an epidural catheter. Fifteen patients were cured (7 with MRSA infection), and 8 died due to the infection (27% with MSSA infection and 38% with MRSA infection).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prognosis of postneurosurgical meningitis by S. aureus does not depend on the presence of resistance to methicillin. Nowadays, the intravenous administration of vancomycin is the treatment of choice in MRSA meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain. cuca22@inicia.es
authors.forename: Azucena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Guardado
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Maradona Hidalgo
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pérez González
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cartón Sánchez
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rial
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Asensi Alvarez
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*