Staphylococcus Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Staphylococcus, including details on mrsa, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a review.

Rybak MJ, LaPlante KL

Anti-Infective Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA. m.rybak@wayne.edu

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common bacterial pathogen responsible for a variety of infections in both children and adults. Treatment of infections caused by this organism is problematic due to its resistance to many drugs. Recent reports of community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections in patients with no known risk factors have serious public health implications. Therapeutic options for these infections are untested; therefore, the potential exists for high morbidity and mortality. Recently, clinical definitions have been established, and new molecular approaches have allowed investigators to distinguish CA-MRSA more easily from traditional nosocomial-derived MRSA strains. Identifying potential risk factors for CA-MRSA acquisition and fully characterizing the epidemiologic, clinical, and molecular properties of these strains are necessary to provide effective therapeutic guidelines.

Published 15 March 2005 in Pharmacotherapy, 25(1): 74-85.
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