COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

OBJECTIVE Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is an increasingly frequent cause of skin infections that are resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics. CA-MRSA refers to an MRSA infection with onset in the community of an individual without any established MRSA risk factor such as recent hospitalization, surgery, residence in a long-term facility, or presence of invasive medical devices. In Canada CA-MRSA was first reported among an Aboriginal community in Alberta in the 1980’s; the prevalence of CA-MRSA in the general population is unknown but it is considered low; the rates of hospitalizations of MRSA infected patients have increased from 1/1000 admissions in 1999 to 3/1000 in 2006 and the rate of MRSA isolation from 4 to 8/1000 admissions (CNISP). In Northern Saskatchewan, the rates have increased from 8/10 000 in 2001 to 144/10 000 in 2006 (Golding). CA-MRSA 7 (USA 400) is the most common strain.