ABSTRACT
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multidrug
resistant organism. Depending on the MRSA strain, antibiotic resistance
patterns have varied. All MRSA strains are, by definition, resistant to
methicillin and other b-lactam antibiotics. However, resistance to other antimicrobials is common, especially in the case of health care-associated
MRSA (HA-MRSA or USA100), which is usually resistant to amino-
glycosides and fluoroquinolones in addition to b-lactam antibiotics. Despite MRSA’s resistance to several antimicrobials, there is a
growing list of new agents that are effective against the organism. In
addition, community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA, or USA300) is often
sensitive to many traditional antibiotics, including minocycline, dox-
ycycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, rifampin, and clindamycin.
HA-MRSA may occasionally be sensitive to these agents, but other
agents are usually necessary to insure effective therapy.
