title: Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections: can we anticipate the culture result?
abstract: This prospective study was designed to evaluate predictors of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) due to community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). Consecutive patients who were hospitalized with S aureus SSTI were enrolled. CA-MRSA infection was diagnosed in 76% of the children. MRSA SSTI was associated with black race (P = .0001) and with infection involving the lower trunk (P = .008). Only 21% of the patients in this study had S aureus colonization in their nares, and in 3 cases there was discordance between the nares and the infection site cultures. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the risk factors examined were limited in their ability to predict CA-MRSA infection. Given the high prevalence of MRSA in our community and the inability of nasal cultures to reliably predict CA-MRSA infection, empirical antibiotic therapy active against CA-MRSA and contact isolation of patients are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA. mbarmeir@gmail.com
authors.forename: Maskit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bar-Meir
authors.forename: Tina Q
authors.initials: TQ
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009666:Nose / Q000382:microbiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents