Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection is associated with increased mortality

Evaluation of: Hanberger H, Walther S, Leone M et al. Increased mortality associated with meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in the intensive care unit: results from the EPIC II study. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents 38(4), 331-335 (2011). Methicillin resistance is a widespread and major source of treatment complication in Staphylococcus aureus infections. Whether infections with methicillin-resistant S. aureus are associated with a worse clinical outcome, such as higher mortality, has remained controversial. Analyzing data from a large, global multicenter study, Hanberger et al. demonstrate that methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections are associated with approximately 50% higher mortality in the intensive care unit and significantly more frequent among critically ill patients than infections with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. These findings call for the implementation or continuation of active methicillin-resistant S. aureussurveillance measures.