Successful treatment of Staphylococcus epidermidis hip prosthesis infection with oral linezolid.

Objective: To report a case of Staphylococcus epidermidis infection of a hip prosthesis successfully treated with oral linezolid.

Case Summary: A 46-year-old woman developed methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) infection of her prosthetic hip. She received oral linezolid 600 mg twice daily for one month; after that time, the biological inflammatory markers returned to normal.

Discussion: One of the most serious complications of arthroplasty is joint prosthesis infection. It is mainly caused by gram-positive bacteria, in particular those of the genus staphylococcus. The increasing prevalence of gram-positive cocci that are resistant to antimicrobial agents has complicated the treatment of serious infections.

Conclusions: Oral linezolid appears to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for hip prosthesis infections due to MRSE.