Rapid Emergence of Resistance to Linezolid and Mutator Phenotypes in Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from an Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patient

Linezolid has emerged as an important therapeutic option for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with cystic fibrosis. We report the rapid emergence, upon treatment with linezolid, of linezolid-resistant S. aureus clinical isolates through the accumulation of resistance-associated 23S rRNA mutations, together with acquisition of an altered mutator phenotype.