Rev Med Chil. 2008 Jul
Luis Miguel Noriega1,3, Patricia González2,3, Juan Carlos Hormazábal4, Consuelo Pinto3a, Magdalena Canals3a, José Manuel Munita1,3,5, Luis Thompson1,3, Alejandra Marcotti1,3, Jorge Pérez1,3,5, Daniel Ibáñez4, Pamela Araya4, Claudio Canals1,3, Pablo Vial1,2,3.
1Unidad de Infectología y Departamento de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Santiago de Chile; 2Laboratorio Clínico, Clínica Alemana; 3Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo; 4Subdepartamento de Microbiología Clínica, Instituto de Salud Pública, Chile; 5Servicio Medicina, Hospital Padre Hurtado. Santiago de Chile. aEstudiantes de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo
Community acquired infections with methicillin resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have a more aggresive clinical course and involve mostly skin and lungs. These infections appear as outbreaks among prisoners, spoñsmen, men having sex with men and military personnel. The higher aggressiveness of these strains is due to the production of several toxins, mainly Panton- Valentine leukocidine. The detection of the gene that codes for this toxin is a distinctive feature ofthese strains. We report five patients with community acquired MRSA infections. The clinicalpresentation was a skin infection in all. One patient had a pleuropneumonia in addition. Apart for resistance to beta-lactam antimicrobials, the strains were resistant to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin. Patients were treated with vancomycin, clotrimoxazole or intravenous clindamycin with a good evolution. An epidemiológical surveillance for community acquired MRSA strain infections should be started and measures to adequately treat infected patients and avoid dissemination should be implemented.
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