Breast abscess bacteriologic features in the era of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus epidemics.
OBJECTIVE
Increasing rates of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have also affected the microbial profile of breast abscesses.


OBJECTIVE
To update the decade-old bacteriologic description of breast abscesses to improve the choice of initial antibacterial drug therapy.


METHODS
Retrospective case series.


METHODS
County hospital emergency department.


METHODS
Forty-four women (mean age, 41 years; age range, 20-63 years) with breast abscesses.


METHODS
All cultures from the breast abscesses of patients were reviewed.


METHODS
The microbiologic features and sensitivities of breast abscesses.


RESULTS
Of 46 specimens only 28 showed bacterial yield (61%). Of these, 11 (39%) were polymicrobial, for an average of 1.4 isolates per specimen. The most common organism was S aureus, present in 12 of 37 aerobic cultures (32%), with MRSA in 7 (58%). The remaining organisms included coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (16%), diphtheroids (16%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8%), Proteus mirabilis (5%), and other isolates (22%). All MRSA was sensitive to clindamycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and linezolid. Only 2 patients (29%) were sensitive to levofloxacin. Two anaerobic cultures were positive for Propionibacterium acnes and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius.


CONCLUSIONS
Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogenic organism in modern breast abscesses. Many breast abscesses have community-acquired MRSA, with more than 50% of all S aureus and 19% of all cultures being MRSA. This finding parallels the local and national increases in MRSA reported in other soft-tissue infections. With increasing bacterial resistance and more minimally invasive management of breast abscesses, understanding the current bacteriologic profile of these abscesses is essential to determining the correct empirical antibiotic drug therapy.
Moazzez
Ashkan
A
Division of Emergency (Non-Trauma) Surgery, Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and Los Angeles County and USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90035, USA.
Kelso
Rebecca L
RL
Towfigh
Shirin
S
Sohn
Helen
H
Berne
Thomas V
TV
Mason
Rodney J
RJ
D000038:Abscess / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008413:Mastitis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents