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Updated: Aug 3, 2025
Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA
Published on: February 9, 2011
Does every Staphylococcus aureus infection require anti-MRSA drugs? Three case reports of a Staphylococcus aureus
1Department of Pharmacy, The Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
Abstract:
Staphylococcus aureus is a common clinical pathogen. Does every S. aureus infection require anti-MRSA drugs? Reported here are three cases of a community-acquired infection with S. aureus. The first case involveds a 45-year-old male who was admitted due to right ankle pain for 1 month; he was diagnosed with chronic suppurative osteomyelitis and an acute soft tissue infection of the ankle. S.aureus was cultured from the pus and was resistant to penicillin and sensitive to oxacillin and vancomycin. After receiving oxacillin, he was cured and discharged 45 days after admission. The second case involved a 44-year-old male who was admitted due to lumbar pain with right lower limb numbness for more than 1 month and fever for 1 day. S. aureus was cultured from blood specimens and was resistant to penicillin and sensitive to oxacillin and vancomycin. After receiving oxacillin, he as cured. The third case involved a 7-day-old newborn who was admitted due to skin jaundice for 6 days. S. aureus was cultured from skin secretions specimens and was resistant to penicillin and sensitive to oxacillin, erythromycin, and vancomycin. The newborn was treated with oxacillin for 4 days, and she was cured and discharged. Not all cases a suspected S. aureus infection require anti-MRSA drugs; instead, previous S. aureus susceptibility results in the area and hospital, as well as the patient's clinical profile, need to be taken into account.
Insights
Not all Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections necessitate anti-MRSA drugs. Treatment decisions for S. aureus should consider local susceptibility patterns and patient clinical profiles for effective outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Microbiology
- Antimicrobial Stewardship
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus is a significant cause of various infections.
- The increasing prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) raises concerns about appropriate treatment strategies.
Observation:
- Three distinct cases of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus infections are presented.
- Case 1: A 45-year-old male with chronic osteomyelitis and soft tissue infection.
- Case 2: A 44-year-old male with lumbar pain and neurological symptoms.
- Case 3: A 7-day-old newborn with jaundice and skin infection.
Findings:
- All three S. aureus isolates were resistant to penicillin.
- All isolates were sensitive to oxacillin and vancomycin.
- Patients were successfully treated with oxacillin, indicating non-MRSA susceptibility in these community-acquired infections.
Implications:
- These cases highlight that not all S. aureus infections require MRSA-specific treatment.
- Treatment choice should be guided by local antimicrobial susceptibility data and individual patient factors.
- This approach supports antimicrobial stewardship and avoids unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotic use.
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