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Updated: Jun 29, 2025

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA
Published on: February 9, 2011
Relapsing bronchopneumonia due to community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a case report
Sho Shimada1, Tetsuo Yamaguchi2, Satsuki Mikoshiba3
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-8519, Japan. shi2pulm@tmd.ac.jp.
Background:
The emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has increased the incidence of community-onset MRSA infection. Respiratory tract infections caused by MRSA has been noted for their severity; however, repeated relapses that require extended antibiotic therapy are rare.
Case Presentation:
We report a case of relapsing bronchopneumonia caused by CA-MRSA in a 56-year-old man. The patient responded to antibiotics, but repeatedly relapsed after stopping treatment. MRSA was consistently isolated from airway specimens during each relapse. Extended oral antibiotic treatment with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) for 6 months achieved infection control. Whole-genome sequencing of the isolated strain revealed that the causative agent was sequence type (ST)1/staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IVa, a clone that is rapidly increasing in Japan.
Discussion And Conclusions:
This patient had an unusual course of MRSA bronchopneumonia with repeated relapses. Although the choice of antibiotics for long-term use in MRSA respiratory tract infections has not been well established, TMP/SMX was effective and well tolerated for long-term therapy in this case. The clinical course of infections related to the rapid emerging clone, ST1/SCCmec type IVa warrants further attention.
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