title: The changes of MRSA infections in chronic suppurative otitis media.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the epidemiologic and microbiological characteristics of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) and hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) infections in the otorrhea of chronic suppurative otitis media (COM) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of patients with newly identified MRSA infections from January 1998 through December 2006. A total of 2773 patients with a diagnosis of COM were included in this study. An antibiotic sensitivity test was performed for each isolate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of MRSA in COM was 4.9 percent (137 of 2773 patients). The proportion of CA-MRSA rose from 0.7 percent in 1998 to 11.4 percent in 2006. However, the proportion of HA-MRSA did not change significantly, from 0.7 percent in 1999 to 1.3 percent in 2006. All of the CA-MRSA strains identified in our study were susceptible to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX). Rifampin susceptibility was also noted in 90 percent of the cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CA-MRSA infections have risen dramatically in the past decade. CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA in COM differed in both clinical and microbiological aspects.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, Guro-gu, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Moo Kyun
authors: MK
authors: Park
authors: Myung Ho
authors: MH
authors: Jung
authors: Hee Joon
authors: HJ
authors: Kang
authors: Jeong-Soo
authors: JS
authors: Woo
authors: Heung-Man
authors: HM
authors: Lee
authors: Hak Hyun
authors: HH
authors: Jung
authors: Soon Jae
authors: SJ
authors: Hwang
authors: Sung Won
authors: SW
authors: Chae
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D010035:Otitis Media, Suppurative / Q000382:microbiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*