Is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia Epidemiology and Sensitivity Changing?

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia poses a deadly threat due to the pathogen's remarkable resistance and virulence factors. Evidence suggests that the epidemiology and sensitivity to antibiotics for MRSA pneumonia is changing extremely fast, creating the potential for it to become a "super bug." Objective: To assess the incidence of community-acquired and hospital-acquired MRSA pneumonia in the community hospital at Christus Spohn during a period of 3 years and its reactivity to antibiotic therapy. Methods: The retrospective study was performed using data collected from Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital Corpus Christi inpatient charts between 2006 and 2008. Patients were identified and selected based on positive sputum cultures for MRSA and using Center of Disease Control, American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines. Patients were then categorized into 2 groups: community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) pneumonia and hospital acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) pneumonia. Results: Our results indicated increase resistance to clindamycin among both CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA, whereas the sensitivity to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) is preserved for both CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA. Conclusions: Resistance to clindamycin has increased over time, but TMP/SMX has preserved its sensitivity against MRSA. TMP/SMX should be revisited as a viable antibiotic option against CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA, specifically against CA-MRSA.