Penicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus: Reemerging Antibiotic Susceptibility?

Once considered rare, PSSA comprised >20% of hematogenous S. aureus osteomyelitis cases at two large U.S. pediatric hospitals.

After penicillin's introduction into clinical practice, penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains (PRSA) emerged in the late 1940s that harbored penicillinase encoded by blaZ, initiating an antibiotic “arms race.” Despite the resultant rise in antimicrobial resistance among gram-negative pathogens, the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program reported worldwide increases in penicillin-susceptible S. aureus (PSSA) from 1997 to 2016.

McNeil et al. evaluated changes in PSSA frequency among methicillin-susceptible hematogenous osteomyelitis cases at two large U.S. pediatric hospitals from 2011 through 2019. In all, 329 unique isolates were analyzed for blaZ and accessory genes by PCR; blaZ-negative strains were tested to determine peni…

Reviewing Author

George Sakoulas, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParatek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.; AbbVie; Shionogi

Speaker’s BureauAllergan/AbbVie; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Open Forum Infectious Diseases