title: Clinical significance of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci obtained from sterile specimens.
abstract: Distinguishing true coagulase-negative staphylococci bacteremia from contamination remains a challenge. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 183 patients with methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS)-positive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-positive cultures obtained from sterile sites such as blood, synovial fluid, ascitic fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid. Of the 209 MR-CoNS isolates, 83 (39.7%) were considered infection associated, and 126 (60.3%) were considered contamination. MR-CoNS isolates cultured from synovial fluid were more likely to be infection associated (P = 0.009). The median interval from insertion of a central venous catheter to onset of infection tended to be longer in MR-CoNS infection cases than in methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection cases (41 days versus 14 days, P = 0.055). In conclusion, our results suggest that the proportion of cases of true MR-CoNS infection may be higher than previously reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan; Department of Infectious Diseases, Unit of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan. Electronic address: mtashiro@nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tashiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Unit of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan. Electronic address: koizumik@nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Izumikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan. Electronic address: ashizawa@med.u-toyama.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ashizawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan. Electronic address: narukawa@med.u-toyama.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Munetoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Narukawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan. Electronic address: yamamoto@med.u-toyama.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D055499:Catheter-Related Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D003030:Coagulase / Q000378:metabolism*; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003030:Coagulase
keywords: Contamination; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci; Sterile specimen