[Severe Staphylococcus aureus infections: clinical characteristics, antibiotic susceptibility and use of antimicrobials. Case series].

Infectious due to methicillin-resistant community acquired Staphylococcus aureus is a public health problem of varying magnitude in different geographical areas of the world, representing a major burden on health systems. The debate on the initial empiric antibiotic therapy remains open. We present a case series of hospitalized patients with severe Staphylococcus aureus infections admitted to the pediatric intermediate care unit of Hospital El Cruce. Between May 2008 and December 2010, 43 patients were admitted. Sixty nine percent of isolated Staphylococcus aureus were methicillin-resistant. Although the difference was not statistically significant, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections required more days of hospitalization in critical care unit and developed more secondary sites of infection. Vancomycin, rifampicin and clindamycin were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. There was a high resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to p-lactams in the series.