Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in U.S. service members deployed to Iraq

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has become the most common cause of skin and soft-tissue infections in the United States. However, no studies have yet examined its importance in the deployed environment. We retrospectively reviewed culture results obtained at a level II military treatment facility in Iraq over a 5-month period to determine the incidence of CA-MRSA in this population. Eighty-five percent of the cultures obtained from skin abscesses were positive for S. aureus, and 70% were methicillin-resistant S. aureus. All of the isolates recovered were sensitive to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. CA-MRSA is a significant problem in deployed service members and civilians and empiric antibiotics for skin and soft-tissue infections need to provide coverage for this important pathogen.