Staphylococcus aureus Infections: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Clinical Manifestations, and Management
Steven Y. C. Tonga✉, Joshua Saul Davisa, Emily M. Eichenbergerb, Thomas L Hollandb, Vance G. Fowlerb c✉
- aGlobal and Tropical Health, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- bDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- cDuke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- ✉Corresponding author
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Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that causes a wide range of clinical infections. It is a leading cause of bacteremia and infective endocarditis as well as osteoarticular, skin and soft tissue, pleuropulmonary, and device-related infections. This review comprehensively covers the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and management of each of these clinical entities. The past 2 decades have witnessed two clear shifts in the epidemiology of S. aureus infections: first, a growing number of health care-associated infections, particularly seen in infective endocarditis and prosthetic device infections, and second, an epidemic of community-associated skin and soft tissue infections driven by strains with certain virulence factors and resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. In reviewing the literature to support management strategies for these clinical manifestations, we also highlight the paucity of high-quality evidence for many key clinical questions.