The Incidence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Community-Acquired Hand Infections

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become increasingly prevalent in hand infections. Traditionally, the empiric treatment of hand infections has involved β-lactam antibiotics, which are ineffective against MRSA. Centers for Disease Control recommends empiric coverage of MRSA infections if the local rate of MRSA exceeds 10% to 15%. A retrospective review was performed on all patients admitted for community-acquired soft tissue infections of the hand between 2004 and 2007 at a single institution. The overall incidence of MRSA was 60%. The incidence of MRSA in healthy adults was 64%, healthy pediatric patients was 100%, immunocompromised patients was 45%, and diabetic patients was 20%. The current rates of MRSA would imply that all patients presenting with hand infections should be treated empirically for MRSA. Linezolid is the only oral antibiotic approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating MRSA, but many studies have reported that trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is an effective antibiotic for outpatient treatment of MRSA.