Emergence of linezolid resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Bastar tribal region, India

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) is a well-known threat to the healthcaresystems for its increasing global prevalence, intrinsicability of resistance to -lactam and cephalosporin,and for acquiring resistance to multipleclasses of other antibiotics, causing difficult-totreatinfections with significant increase in morbidity,mortality and treatment cost. Although forsevere MRSA infections vancomycin is describedas the first-line intravenous drug, vancomycinresistantand intermediate isolates of S. aureus(VRSA & VISA) have been increasingly reportedthroughout the world. The therapeutic and lifesavingoption for VRSA and VISA infections remainlinezolid, first antimicrobial of oxazolidinonegroup available since 2000. The first case of linezolid-resistant staphylococci appeared within 1year after linezolid was approved for therapeuticuse.1 Although linezolid resistance in S. aureusis uncommon, emergence has been shown fromsome parts of the world.2 From India, first casereport of linezolid resistance was published in2011 from Kashmir.3 This is the first report fromthe Chattisgarh state in Central India where wefound two linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus aureusisolates which were cultured in March 2011from pus samples collected from the male surgicalward of Maharani Hospital, Jagdalpur, Bastar.