Increase in the frequency of recovery of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in acute and chronic maxillary sinusitis

This study compared the rate of recovery of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) between the periods 2001-2003 and 2004-2006 in acute and chronic maxillary sinusitis. Cultures were obtained from 458 patients, 244 with acute and 214 with chronic maxillary sinusitis; 215 isolates were recovered in the 2 years between 2001 and 2003 (118 from acute and 97 from chronic sinusitis), and 243 in the 2 years between 2004 and 2006 (1126 from acute and 117 from chronic sinusitis). S. aureus was isolated from ten (8%) of the patients with acute sinusitis between 2001 and 2003, three (30 %) of which were MRSA, and from 13 (10 %) of the patients with acute sinusitis between 2004 and 2006, nine (69%) of which were MRSA (P <0.01). S. aureus was found in 15 (15 %) of the patients with chronic sinusitis between 2001 and 2003, four (27 %) of which were MRSA, and from 23 (20 %) of the patients with chronic sinusitis between 2004 and 2006, 14 (61 %) of which were MRSA (P <0.05). Antimicrobial therapy was administered over the last 3 months to 122 (57 %) of the patients with chronic sinusitis. MRSA was isolated more often from these individuals (28/122; 23 %) than from those not treated previously (110/92 or 11 %) (P <0.05). These data illustrate that a significant increase occurred in the rate of recovery of MRSA in patients with acute and chronic maxillary sinusitis over the periods studied.