Summary

Staphylococcus aureus is a virulent pathogen that commonly causes community-acquired and hospital-acquired infections. The increased prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is causing a major public health problem in many countries. With many MRSA strains, vancomycin is the only effective antimicrobial agent. The recent emergence of vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus has raised fears about untreatable staphylococcal infections.