title: Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in children treated in Uruguay.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Staphylococcus aureus produces a variety of diseases among children, ranging from skin and soft tissue infections to invasive life-threatening diseases. Since 1990, an increasing number of diseases produced by community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) isolates have been reported. The aim of this study was to describe the importance and the microbiological characteristics of S. aureus isolates recovered from children treated at the Hospital Pediátrico del Centro Hospitalario "Pereira Rossell" (HP-CHPR); focusing on invasive diseases caused by CA-MRSA isolates, as well as some clinical aspects of the diseases they have produced.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty-five S. aureus isolates recovered from the HP-CHPR between 2003 and 2006 from children with invasive (n=89) and superficial diseases (n=36) were included. Genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of S. aureus isolates and relevant clinical aspects of each child were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CA-MRSA isolates accounted for 73% of all S. aureus recovered from invasive (mainly bone and joint) infections, pneumonia and bacteraemia. The most common CA-MRSA strain recovered from invasive (n=65) and superficial (n=36) diseases had the following features: pulsotype A (type USA1100), SCCmec cassette type IV, Panton-Valentine Leukocidin genes positive, susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole without the inducible macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (iMLSB) resistance phenotype. No association between genotypic characteristics of invasive CA-MRSA isolates and clinical outcomes was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CA-MRSA isolates produced a wide spectrum of invasive diseases in a public paediatric hospital between 2003 and 2006. Microbiologic characterization suggests the spread of an adapted CA-MRSA clone lacking erm genes.
authors: Departamento de Bacteriología y Virología-Instituto de Higiene. Universidad de la República, Uruguay. lpardo@higiene.edu.uy.
authors: Lorena
authors: L
authors: Pardo
authors: Magdalena
authors: M
authors: Vola
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Macedo-Viñas
authors: Virginia
authors: V
authors: Machado
authors: Dianna
authors: D
authors: Cuello
authors: Marta
authors: M
authors: Mollerach
authors: Marta
authors: M
authors: Castro
authors: Catalina
authors: C
authors: Pírez
authors: Gustavo
authors: G
authors: Varela
authors: Gabriela
authors: G
authors: Algorta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010641:Phenotype; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D014583:Uruguay / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents