Resumen:
Linezolid resistance is extremely uncommon in Staphylococcus aureus. Our objective was to report an outbreak with linezolid and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (LRSA) in an intensive care department and the effective control measures taken. Outbreak study of consecutive critically ill patients colonized and/or infected with LRSA at an intensive care department of a 1000-bed tertiary care university teaching hospital in Madrid, Spain. Patients were placed under strict contact isolation. Daily updates of outbreak data and recommendations for the use of linezolid were issued. Extensive environmental sampling and screening of the hands of health care workers were performed. Our measures were linezolid use and clinical and epidemiological characteristics and outcomes using minimal inhibitory concentrations, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and polymerase chain reaction of LRSA isolates. Between April 13 and June 26, 2008, 12 patients with LRSA were identified. In 6 patients, LRSA caused ventilator-associated pneumonia and in 3 patients it caused bacteremia. Isolates were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, glycopeptides, tigecycline, and daptomycin. Genotyping identified 1 predominant clone...