Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has become the most common cause of skin and soft-tissue infections in the United States, However, no studies have yet examined its importance in the deployed environment. We retrospectively reviewed culture results obtained at a level II military treatment facility in Iraq over a 5-month period to determine the incidence of CA-MRSA in this population. Eighty-five percent of the cultures obtained from skin abscesses were positive for S. aureus, and 70% were methicillin-resistant S. aureus. All of the isolates recovered were sensitive to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. CA-MRSA is a significant problem in deployed sendee members and civilians and empiric antibiotics for skin and soft-tissue infections need to provide coverage for this important pathogen.
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Roberts, S. S., & Kazragis, R. J. (2009). Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections in U.S. service members deployed to Iraq. Military Medicine, 174(4), 408–411. https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-02-8408