Clinical and molecular epidemiology of community-acquired, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in children in central Greece

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases 2008-09, Vol.27 (9), p.831-837
• Main Authors: Niniou, I., Vourli, S., Lebessi, E., Foustoukou, M., Vatopoulos, A., Pasparakis, D. G., Kafetzis, D. A., Tsolia, M. N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial Toxins - analysis; Bacterial Toxins - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Child; Child, Preschool; Cloning; Community-Acquired Infections - epidemiology; Community-Acquired Infections - microbiology; Community-Acquired Infections - pathology; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Epidemiology; Exotoxins - analysis; Exotoxins - genetics; Female; Greece; Health care; Hospitals; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infant; Infectious diseases; Internal Medicine; Laboratories; Leukocidins - analysis; Leukocidins - genetics; Male; Medical Microbiology; Medical sciences; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - pathogenicity; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Epidemiology; Patients; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prospective Studies; Public health; Risk Factors; Staphylococcal Infections - drug therapy; Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcal Infections - pathology; Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus infections; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/s10096-008-0513-7

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections in children have increased considerably in our area. In this study, we prospectively examined the epidemiological, clinical and molecular profile of CA-MRSA infections in children in central Greece. A total of 198 staphylococcal strains were isolated from patients with community-acquired infections over a 28-month period and 88 (44%) were found to be methicillin-resistant. Most patients with CA-MRSA had skin and soft-tissue infections (73%). Hospitalisation and surgery were more commonly required for patients with MRSA strains ( p  = 0.001 and p