Emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in complicated parapneumonic effusions.

A retrospective study was conducted of all patients with complicated parapneumonic effusion discharged between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2004. We identified 54 patients. The number of patients with complicated parapneumonic effusion per 10,000 admissions increased from 4.4 in 1994 to 18.4 in 2000 (P = 0.03) and then decreased to 13.9 in 2003 (not statistically significant). Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus accounted for none of the 36 cases from 1994 through 2001 and 4 of the 18 cases from 2002 through 2004.