Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) have recently occurred in communities in people lacking known healthcare risk factors. This MRSA
infection is referred to as community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA)
infection, and is distinct from hospital-associated MRSA
infection, which occurs in people with risk factors. We experienced a patient diagnosed with CA-MRSA
cellulitis, as culture of
pus revealed MRSA and he had not been exposed to healthcare environments for the past year. The patient was a previously healthy 38-year-old man with suppurative
cellulitis in his right index finger following injury to the finger at his worksite. The
cellulitis was successfully managed with incision and drainage (I&D), followed by
cefazolin during a 10-day
clinical course, although the patient's MRSA strain was resistant to
cefazolin. There are several reports that suggest that I&D followed by
antibiotic treatment for CA-MRSA skin
infection produces equivalent clinical outcomes, whether the
antibiotic prescribed was effective or not. Given that MRSA emerged in an outpatient setting, CA-MRSA should be considered a possible etiology of skin
infection in healthy individuals with no classical risk factors for acquisition of MRSA.