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.

Life-threatening community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in Australia.

Peleg AY, Munckhof WJ, Kleinschmidt SL, Stephens AJ, Huygens F

Infectious Diseases Unit, The Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Prahran, Melbourne, Victoria 3181, Australia. antonpeleg@iprimus.com.au

Eight patients with invasive bacteremic community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in southeast Queensland, Australia, are reported. One patient died of septic shock. Haematogenous seeding to lungs, bone, and other sites was common. All isolates carried the virulence factor Panton-Valentine leukocidin and were either the southwest Pacific clone or the newly described Queensland clone. Clinicians should consider community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in any patient presenting to hospital with severe staphylococcal sepsis or pneumonia.

Published 4 July 2005 in Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 24(6): 384-7.
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