Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Staphylococcus aureus isolates classified according to their origin in a tertiary hospital in Korea.

We performed a comprehensive analysis on 3,594 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from routine culture during the last 4 years. The antimicrobial susceptibilities of the isolates were analyzed according to their origin and were compared based on the type of specimens. The proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in community-associated (CA), health care-associated, community onset (HACO), and health care-associated (HA) isolates were 33.0%, 54.3%, and 73.3%, respectively. The MRSA rate differed significantly between specimens, with the highest rate from urine in the CA and HACO isolates, whereas the highest rate from the respiratory tract was in the HA isolates. The monitoring of the MRSA rate in CA, HACO, and HA S aureus isolates would be valuable for surveillance. The elevated rates of MRSA in urinary specimens from CA and HCA isolates need to be addressed for infection control.