Heteroresistant vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) in prosthetic joint infections: a case series and review

eroresistant vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) in prosthetic joint infections: a case series and review Case Series (1540) Total Article Views Authors: Sivakumar B, Chaudhuri A, Vijaysegaran P Published Date May 2012 Volume 2012:4 Pages 27 - 32 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/ORR.S31222 Received: 26 February 2012 Accepted: 06 March 2012 Published: 11 May 2012 Brahman Sivakumar,1 Alex Chaudhuri,2 Praveen Vijaysegaran3 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, 2Department of Infectious Diseases, The Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside, 3Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside, Australia Abstract: Prosthetic joint infections are notoriously difficult to manage and often result in prolonged antibiotic therapy, which has been identified as contributing to bacterial resistance. Heteroresistant vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus is a substrain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus associated with a higher affinity for bone and joint infections. Here, we present three cases of heteroresistant vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus prosthetic joint infection at our institution, review the literature, and provide recommendations for the management of such infections in the future.