Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection After Lung Transplantation: 5-year Review of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology

Background: Data on the epidemiology of MRSA infection in lung transplantation is limited. Methods: We performed a 5-year retrospective study to assess the incidence and microbiologic and clinical characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in a cohort of 163 lung transplant recipients. Results: Seventeen patients with MRSA colonization and/or infection were identified, for a calculated incidence rate of 76.1 cases per 1,000 transplanted-years. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis identified 3 different distinct MRSA profiles, all of them consistent with hospital-associated MRSA infection. Conclusion: Despite negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the virulence factor Panton-Valentine leukocidin, MRSA infections resulted in significant disease and morbidity. J Heart Lung Transplant 2009;28:1231-6. Copyright (C) 2009 by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.