Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): Diagnostic, clinical relevance and therapy

In the last decades, increasing numbers of patients with problematic bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been reported. Beside the common problem of MRSA variants in hospitals, recently community-based MRSA (cMRSA) has become a growing problem even in patients without typical risk factors. cMRSA often carries the virulence factor Panton-Valentine-leukocidin (PVL) causing dermatologic diseases like therapy-refractory furunculosis in young adults. Thus, it is both a medical and health economic issue to identify MRSA as quickly as possible and then eradiate it completely. We review the practical consequences and in particular, the therapy options which are reasonable once MRSA is identified.