A Rare Case of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Enterocolitis Treated With Oral Vancomycin

Abstract

Historically, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was thought to be the primary pathogen in pseudomembranous enterocolitis associated with antibiotic use or recent abdominal surgery; however, Clostridioides difficile was later identified as another more common pathogen. Since the eclipse of C. difficile the workup of hospital-acquired diarrhea now utilizes nucleic acid amplification rather than stool cultures and longer includes the investigation of other less common pathogens. Consequently, the diagnosis of MRSA enterocolitis has faded. It is imperative to consider more sinister pathogens not routinely covered in laboratory testing as MRSA enterocolitis infections have been known to progress to severe systemic infections and thus the delay or misdiagnosis can result in inappropriate treatment, prolonged hospitalizations, sepsis and/or death. Herein we present a case of a patient who presented with laboratory diagnosed MRSA enterocolitis in the absence of recent abdominal surgery or antibiotic use and was successfully treated with oral vancomycin.

Keywords: clostridium infections; diarrhea; enterocolitis; methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus; vancomycin.