[Characteristics of community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in children].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence and drug resistant patterns of community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in children.


METHODS
Samples of sputum, blood, liquor puris/secretion of skin or stool in Beijing Children's Hospital between January, 2002 and March, 2005 were cultured. The characteristics of community-acquired MRSA infection were analyzed and compared with hospital-acquired MRSA infection.


RESULTS
A total of 25 strains of MRSA were found during the study period and they accounted for 4.7% in 512 strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Of the 25 strains of MRSA, 20 strains were community-acquired but only 5 were hospital-acquired. The prevalence of MRSA infection in Staphyloccus aureus has kept rising over last two years, 3.1% in 2003, 5.4% in 2004 and 7.2% in the first season of 2005. There were no statistical differences in the results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing and multi-resistance testing between the groups of community-acquired and hospital-acquired MRSA. In both groups, all isolates were susceptible to vancomycin. The percentage of the patients with underlying disease in the hospital-acquired infection group was significantly higher than in community-acquired infection group (P < 0.05), but the onset age was not different.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of community-acquired MRSA infection tends to increase in children. The drug resistant patterns of community-acquired MRSA were not significantly different from the hospital-acquired MRSA in children.
Hu
Ying-Hui
YH
Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100045, China. huyinghui2001@yahoo.com.cn
Zhen
Jing-Hui
JH
Zhao
De-Huan
DH
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*