Treatment options for uncomplicated community-acquired skin and soft tissue infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: oral antimicrobial agents.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), and toxin-producing community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) strains are becoming the leading cause of SSTIs presenting to emergency departments and outpatient settings. Many of these infections can be treated with oral antibiotics. This review is intended to delineate the types of SSTIs that require antibiotic treatment and to explain which CA-MRSA SSTIs can be treated with oral antibacterial agents.

METHODS: Review of the literature related to the treatment of CA-MRSA SSTIs with oral antibacterial agents.

RESULTS: Oral antimicrobial agents are available for the treatment of MRSA infection, and most SSTIs caused by CA-MRSA can be treated with these oral agents in an outpatient setting. Variable susceptibilities have been observed for CA-MRSA vs. hospital-acquired MRSA, pointing up the need for clinicians to be vigilant in determining susceptibility patterns.

CONCLUSIONS: The growing prevalence of CA-MRSA in SSTIs and the increasing number of these infections observed in both the community and the hospital setting indicates that early, appropriate recognition and treatment are necessary. Many oral antimicrobial agents are available for the treatment of these infections.