title: A comparison of clinical features and mortality among methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive strains of Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis.
abstract: Our objective was to assess the clinical factors that would reliably distinguish methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) from methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) endocarditis. A retrospective cohort study of clinical features and mortality in patients with MRSA and MSSA endocarditis between March 1986 and March 2004 was performed in a 750-bed, tertiary care teaching hospital. A total of 32 patients (10 MRSA [31.3%] vs 22 MSSA [68.7%]) were evaluated. Their mean age and sex ratio (male/female) were as follows: 30.8 +/- 16.0 vs 24.4 +/- 19.6 years old and 6/4 vs 13/9, for MRSA and MSSA infective endocarditis (IE), respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that persistent bacteremia was significantly more prevalent in MRSA IE (OR, 10.0 [1.480- 67.552]; p, 0.018). There was a higher mortality trend for MRSA IE (50.0%) than for MSSA IE (9.1%) (p=0.019). However, persistent bacteremia was not associated with higher mortality (p > 0.05). These results indicate that if persistent bacteremia is documented, the likelihood of MRSA endocarditis should be viewed as high, and the patient's anti- staphylococcal therapy should be prolonged and/or changed to a more "potent" regimen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yongdong Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 146-92 Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-270, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Jun Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Chang Oh
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: June Myung
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Goo
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*