Antimicrobial therapy for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections. Recently, community-associated MRSA has emerged, manifesting as skin and soft tissue infections in patients without any prior healthcare contact. Vancomycin, a glycopeptide in clinical use for more than 50 years, still remains an acceptable treatment option. However, significant concerns have been raised regarding the decreasing susceptibility of S. aureus to this agent. The growing awareness of the limitations of vancomycin has served as an impetus for development of newer agents. There has been an increase in the number of agents available to treat MRSA infections. Linezolid, daptomycin, telavancin, and ceftaroline have received regulatory approval in the last decade for the treatment of MRSA. Although these drugs do have certain differentiating attributes and may offer some advantages over vancomycin, they also have significant limitations.