How important is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia and what is best antimicrobial therapy?

The emergence of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus has raised issues regarding the importance of methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and its optimal treatment. Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) is an important cause of CAP because of the high mortality if not suspected early, and its occurrence in young patients with long life expectancy. Certain clinical features can increase the probability of CA-MRSA as a cause of CAP. The consistent trend toward better outcomes for documented MRSA pneumonia suggests that linezolid be considered the drug of choice for documented MRSA CAP, especially for CA-MRSA.