Staphylococcus aureus' susceptibility to antibiotics appears to increasing, according to a study presented June 4 at the American Society of Microbiology's ASM Microbe 2017 conference in New Orleans.
To assess the antibiotic susceptibility trends of S. aureus in the U.S., researchers tested more than 19,000 clinical isolates obtained from 42 medical centers across the country. Examination revealed S. aureus' resistance to oxacillin decreased from 47.2 percent in 2009 to 42.2 percent in 2016. Additionally, the bacteria's resistance to levofloxacin, clindamycin and erythromycin displayed some decline over the same period. However, susceptibility to ceftaroline, trimethoprim-sulfanethoxazole and tetracycline remained steady.
"The prevalence of the main S. aureus clone causing community-acquired and healthcare-associated infections in many parts of the U.S. seems to be decreasing in some areas," said Helio Sader, MD, PhD, senior director of microbiology and surveillance at JMI Laboratories in North Liberty, Iowa. "A prevalence decrease may change the antimicrobial resistance profiles of S. aureus, emphasizing the importance of monitoring this organism through large resistance surveillance programs."
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