Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections requiring admission to a Tunisian pediatric intensive care unit.

Background: There is limited literature describing severe community acquired methicillin-resistant S aureus (CA-MRSA) in children admitted to an intensive care unit.

Aim: To review clinical features and outcome of children admitted in a Tunisian pediatric intensive care with CA-MRSA.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients coded for CAMRSA over 10 years.

Results: There were 14 (0.32% of all admissions) patients identified with severe CA-MRSA. The median age was 3 months (range,0.5-156 months). All patients had pulmonary involvement. Six children (42.8%) developed septic shock. Two (14.3%) patients had multifocal infection with deep venous thrombosis. Two (14.3%) patients died.

Conclusion: Severe CA-MRSA pneumonia dominated presentation. The mortality of CA-MRSA infection in our series is lower than reported in the literature.