Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus--Pennsylvania, 2002

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of hospital- and community-acquired infections. Since the recognition of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in 1988, the emergence of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] > or = 32 microg/mL) has been anticipated. The transfer of the genetic element containing the vanA vancomycin resistance gene from Enterococcus faecalis to S. aureus was demonstrated in the laboratory in 1992; the first clinical infection with VRSA was reported in July 2002. This report describes the second documented clinical isolate of VRSA from a patient.