Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus--New York, 2004

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Antimicrobial Resistance

Background:

• Staphylococcus aureus is a significant pathogen causing both hospital and community infections.
• The rise of vancomycin-resistant enterococci preceded the emergence of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA).
• VRSA is defined by a vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ≥32 µg/mL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the third documented clinical isolate of VRSA in the United States.
• To highlight the challenges in detecting VRSA using current automated susceptibility testing.

Main Methods:

• Clinical isolate identification.
• Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, including automated methods.

Main Results:

• The study describes the third U.S. clinical VRSA isolate.
• Commonly used automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing failed to detect this VRSA isolate.

Conclusions:

• The emergence of VRSA poses a significant public health threat.
• Current automated susceptibility testing methods may require re-evaluation for accurate VRSA detection.