Penicillin susceptibility among Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections at a children's hospital

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39248483/ An AHRQ-funded study has found that penicillin may be an effective treatment for a small but significant portion of community-acquired skin and soft tissue infections in children caused by methicillin-susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Although penicillin-resistant strains comprised the majority of the infections found in a surveillance study conducted at Texas Children’s Hospital, researchers discovered that 9 percent of infections caused by MSSA could be treated with penicillin. Infections caused by penicillin-susceptible MSSA were associated with higher rates of hospital admission and surgical intervention than those caused by penicillin-resistant strains, highlighting their clinical importance. These findings suggested that it may be time to reconsider penicillin susceptibility testing and treatment options for S. aureus infections in the outpatient setting, particularly as most skin infections are managed outside hospitals. This shift could improve care and reduce reliance on other antibiotics. Access the abstract, in Microbiology Spectrum.