Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in Israel.

Background: Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections are increasingly being documented worldwide. In Israel, however, CA-MRSA infections have not yet been reported, so awareness among physicians may be low.

Objective: To alert physicians to the possibility of CA-MRSA infection, which necessitates a distinct therapeutic approach.

Methods: We present three children with soft tissue infections caused by CA-MRSA who were treated in our medical center from January to March 2009.

Results: In all three cases CA-MRSA was identified as the causative pathogen after surgical or spontaneous drainage. On susceptibility testing, the organisms were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics but susceptible to clindamycin, rifampicin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Conclusions: Physicians should maintain an index of suspicion for CA-MRSA infections. The antibiotic-resistance profile of S. aureus should be watched carefully, and in particular, cultures should be obtained whenever soft tissue infections fail to respond to conventional treatment.