Community-acquired pneumonia and bacteraemia in a healthy young woman caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carrying the genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)

In summary, our case supports previous findings that CA-MRSA strains carrying the PVL genes can be carried asymptomatically for years, are associated with pneumonia and, in this case, bacteraemia. Also in countries with low prevalence of MRSA there are good reasons to always ask patients attending health care institutions for any previous MRSA carriage or infections, also among close relatives and regardless of presence of apparent risk factors, such as previous hospitalization in foreign countries. When a new MRSA infected or colonized patient is found in the community, the investigation should include screening of family members and close contacts. Moreover, our case also illustrates the importance of drawing blood cultures from patients with pneumonia or fever of unknown origin. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.