A Comparison of Clinical Features between Community-Associated and Healthcare-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Keratitis

Purpose. To compare the clinical features of community-associated (CA) and healthcare-associated (HA) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) keratitis. Methods. Patients presenting with culture-proven MRSA keratitis between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2010, at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, were included in this study. The patients' demographic and clinical information were reviewed retrospectively. Antibiotic susceptibility was verified using the disk diffusion method. Results. Information on 26 patients with MRSA keratitis was collected, including 12 cases of CA-MRSA and 14 cases of HA-MRSA. All MRSA isolates were susceptible to vancomycin; the only difference in drug susceptibility was that CA-MRSA isolates were more susceptible to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole than HA-MRSA (P = .034). The most common risk factor for MRSA keratitis was ocular surface disease. No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in terms of clinical features, treatments, and visual outcomes. Conclusion. In Taiwan, CA-MRSA rivals HA-MRSA as a critical cause of MRSA keratitis. Furthermore, CA-MRSA isolates are multidrug resistant. CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA keratitis are clinically indistinguishable, although larger studies are warranted to further evaluate this association.