BACKGROUNDStaphylococcus aureus has a notable ability to acquire resistance
to antibiotics, and methicillin resistance represents a growing public health
problem. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has also become important outside
the hospital environment, particularly in the United States. In Brazil, since
2005, cases of community skin infections caused by MRSA have been reported, but
resistance studies involving outpatients are scarce.OBJECTIVETo know the resistance profile of S. aureus involved in skin and
soft tissue infections of patients seen at the Dermatology outpatient clinic of a
university hospital in Recife, Pernambuco State, northeastern Brazil. METHODSProspective study involving 30 patients with skin and soft tissue infections, seen
at the Dermatology outpatient clinic from May until November 2011. To evaluate the
susceptibility of S. aureus to antibiotics, the disk diffusion
method and oxacillin screening agar were used. RESULTSFrom a total of 30 samples of skin lesions, 19 (63%) had positive culture for
S. aureus. The following resistance patterns of S.
aureus were observed: penicillin, 95%; tetracycline, 32%;
erythromycin, 21%; gentamicin, 16%; cefoxitin, 11%; oxacillin, 11%;
trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, 11%; chloramphenicol, 11%; clindamycin, 5% ; and
ciprofloxacin, 0%. One of the identified MRSA was obtained from a patient without
risk factors for its acquisition, and was resistant, beyond to the beta-lactams,
only to tetracycline. CONCLUSIONSWith regard to the resistance patterns of S. aureus, resistances
to tetracycline, erythromycin and gentamicin were the highest. It was documented,
for the first time in Pernambuco, a case of skin infection caused by
community-associated MRSA.