Epidemiological Profile of Linezolid‐Resistant Coagulase‐Negative Staphylococci

Abstract

Background. Surveillance studies have shown that 256 µg/mL. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that 21 (84%) of 25 linezolid-resistant isolates exhibited genetic relatedness, whereas linezolid-susceptible isolates were of diverse clones. Unique, independent predictors of linezolid resistance included receipt of linezolid in the 3 months preceding isolation of the coagulase-negative staphylococci (odds ratio, 20.6; 95% confidence interval, 5.8–73.0). Conclusion. Linezolid-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci have emerged at our institution and are predominately of a single clone. We believe that the most likely scenario to explain this emergence is that person-to-person spread of linezolid-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci led to establishment of skin colonization with the strain. Subsequent use of linezolid was followed by selection of the linezolid-resistant strain, which then became the dominant skin flora. The potential for a parallel scenario involving clonal dissemination followed by selection of linezolid-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a real possibility.