Infectious caused by community-acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA): three-years experience of an universitary hospital in Rome

To date methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common pathogens causing nosocomial infections(1). In Europe the proportion of MRSA is increasing sharply and the distribution varies from country to country. In recent years there has, in various parts of the world, the emergence of infection with strains of S. aureus methicillin-resistant community-acquired (CA-MRSA) than those circulating in hospitals(2). These strains contain a gene that confers resistance to methicillin (mec A SSC mec IV) which is usually associated with the gene for Leukocidin Panton Valentine (PVL) toxin responsible for necrosis of skin and soft tissue (3). In 2006-2008, at the Laboratory of Bacteriology PolyclinicTor Vergata,were isolated a total of 738 strains of S. aureus from biological samples of different nature (oral, vaginal secretions, wound swab, secreted headset, etc ...) of patients related to our surgeries.The identification and study of drug sensitivity of strains were performed with the automatic VITEK2 (bioMérieux). Of the 738 strains of S. aureus identified 212 (28.7%) were resistant to methicillin (MRSA), with an increasing trend over the years: 46 isolates, respectively, in 2006, 76 in 2007 and 90 in 2008. The highest frequency of MRSA (varying between 85% and 95%) was detected in wound swabs from the dispensary and diabetes (diabetic foot).