title: Staphylococcus aureus: a community pathogen.
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus is a common human pathogen. S aureus infections most commonly clinically manifest as skin infections. There has been much interest in S aureus infections in the community over the past decade because of the rise of community-associated methicillin-resistant S aureus (CA-MRSA) infections, which have emerged globally over a relatively short period of time. In contrast to health care-associated methicillin resistant S aureus (HA-MRSA), circulating strains of CA-MRSA have characteristic pathogenesis, strain characteristics, epidemiology, and clinical manifestations that are distinct from HA-MRSA. In fact, CA-MRSA probably behaves more like community-associated methicillin-sensitive S aureus (MSSA). This article reviews current knowledge of the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of community-associated S aureus and CA-MRSA infections.
authors.affiliation: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control Program, 1000 W. Carson Street, Box 466, Torrance CA 90509, USA. Lgmiller@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Loren G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Sheldon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology