Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a consensus review of the microbiology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology with implications for prevention and management.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a major nosocomial pathogen in community hospitals, long-term-care facilities, and tertiary care hospitals. The basic mechanism of resistance is alteration in penicillin-binding proteins of the organism. Methods for isolation by culture and typing of the organism are reviewed.