title: Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in a pediatric intensive care unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection is an increasing problem worldwide. In developing countries, there is little data on CA-MRSA infection in children. This study reviewed the clinical features and outcomes of children admitted in a Tunisian pediatric intensive care unit with severe CA-MRSA infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review of patients coded for CA-MRSA over 10 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 14 (0.32% of all admissions) patients identified with severe CA-MRSA infections. The median age was three months (range, 0.5-156 months). All patients had pulmonary involvement. Six children (42.8%) developed septic shock. Two (14.3%) patients had multifocal infection with deep venous thrombosis. Two (14.3%) patients died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe CA-MRSA pneumonia dominated presentation. The mortality of CA-MRSA infection in our series is lower than that previously reported.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric intensive care unit, Children's Hospital of Tunis, Tunisia. menifkhaled@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Menif
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouziri
authors.forename: Ammar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khaldi
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamdi
authors.forename: Sarra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belhadj
authors.forename: Aida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borgi
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fitouri
authors.forename: Najla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ben Jaballah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology