Reduced Vancomycin Susceptibility in MSSA Increases Complicated Infection

Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections remain a clinical challenge, particularly in patients with complicated bacteremia (endovascular focus, duration ≥72 hours on antibiotics, metastatic spread). Isolates with reduced vancomycin susceptibility have repeatedly but not consistently been associated with increased mortality and worse clinical outcomes in patients with either methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) bacteremia (the latter treated with beta-lactams), suggesting a collateral intrinsic virulence phenotype with reduced vancomycin susceptibility. Now, researchers have examined outcomes in 252 patients with MSSA bacteremia according to presence of reduced vancomycin suscepti…