[A study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in the urological field]

Clinical backgrounds of 35 patients with urogenital infection, from whom methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated, were analyzed. Susceptibilities of these MRSA strains to various antimicrobial agents were also measured. Out of 35 MRSA strains, 29, 4 and 2 were isolated from urine, pus and sputum specimens, respectively, showing a definitely high isolation rate from urine. As for underlying diseases, 22 patients (62.8%), 11 (31.4%) and one each had a malignant tumor of the urinary tract or genital organ, prostatic hypertrophy, urolithiasis and vesicoureteral reflux, respectively. Patients aged at over 60 years numbered 20 (57%), and 32 patients (91.4%) were treated with some antimicrobial agent at the time of MRSA isolation. Out of 35 strains, 17 were isolated after total cystectomy with urinary diversion or transurethral surgery. As for the state of MRSA infection, 9 and 26 patients had single and polymicrobial infections, respectively, but none of patients had serious symptoms definitely thought to be caused by MRSA. On evaluation of susceptibilities of MRSA to various antimicrobial agents, the MRSA strains were found to be sensitive to minocycline, netilmicin and ofloxacin. From these results, MRSA strains isolated from patients treated in the field of urology were thought to rarely cause serious infectious symptoms, especially true for those isolated from the urine.