[Clinical and microbiological characteristics of skin and soft tissue infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus in children in a hospital in Medellin from 2013 to 2015].

BACKGROUND

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) are very common in children and Staphylococcus aureus is the main agent, with an increase of methicillin resistant strains (MRSA) in recent years.

AIM

To identify the frequency of MRSA in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in children from a high complex hospital in Medellin, Colombia.

METHODS

This is a descriptive, retrospective study, information was obtained from medical records. We included patients younger than 18 years with SSTI due to S. aureus who did not meet criteria for invasive disease.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MRSA in this population was 31%. The main diagnosis was cutaneous abscess (68%), followed by surgical site infection (15%) and non-purulent cellulitis (6%). Eighty five percent of the patients had at least 1 comorbidity. All isolates were sensitive to rifampicin and cotrimoxazole and 8% of the isolates were resistant to clindamycin. There was a higher prevalence of MRSA in patients under 2 years compared to older (60 vs 23%, p = 0,0109).

CONCLUSION

In view of the high prevalence of MRSA in SSTI, empirical treatment with adequate coverage for MRSA is recommended, especially for patients under 2 years of age.