Vancomycin susceptibility trends and prevalence of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus in clinical methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates.

ABSTRACT: Due to the rise in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and widespread use of vancomycin, MRSA isolates with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin are emerging (i.e., MIC creep). However, the prevalence of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (hVISA) is unknown due to the difficulty in detecting this phenotype. Recently, Etest glycopeptide resistance detection (GRD) strips have been developed to detect hVISA. This study assessed vancomycin susceptibility in MRSA isolates and determined the prevalence of hVISA by Etest GRD and population analysis profile-area under the curve ratio (PAP-AUC). The genetic backgrounds of 167 MRSA isolates collected from 2000 to 2008 were identified by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Vancomycin MICs were determined using Ete

SUBMITTER: Pitz AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3020454 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature