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Reversion common in MRSA-positive skin and soft tissue infections
Presence of an invasive device was associated with reversion in patients who had been treated for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-related skin and soft tissue infections, according to study findings published online.
Jon M. Hanifin, MD, of Oregon Health and Science University, and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 215 inpatients and outpatients who were seen at OHSU and associated clinics between 2000 and 2010 for a MRSA-positive skin and soft tissue infection.
Hanifin and colleagues found that about 30% of the patients reverted to methicillin-susceptible S. aureus.
They said there was one common factor associated with reversion: “the presence of an invasive device.”
The researchers noted some limitations to the study; specifically, its retrospective nature and “access only to university system records.” Hanifin and colleagues also said they “hoped to identify patterns of infection in patients with atopic dermatitis but found infrequently documented dermatologic diagnoses.”
Regardless, the researchers said the findings “reinforce the importance of culturing recurrent purulent infections whenever possible, even in patients with a history of MRSA infections.”
Disclosure: Hanifin has served as a consultant to Chugai Pharma USA, GlaxoSmithKline, Leerink Swann, LEO Pharma, Meda Pharmaceuticals, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, Valeant Elidel Advisory Board and ZymoGenetics/BMS.