Necrotizing Staphylococcal pneumonia in a neonate

Hospitalized neonates are commonly colonized soon after birth with Staphylococcus aureus. The majority of neonates do not develop infectious sequelae; however, premature neonates appear to be more susceptible to serious infections, such as pneumonia. We report a case of an extremely low birth weight infant who developed necrotizing pneumonia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal aureus (MRSA). The MRSA isolate from this neonate is identical to the strains that have been causing primarily community-associated skin and soft tissue infections. The severe course of this patient may be attributed to the presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene, a well-known virulence factor leading to soft tissue and pulmonary infections.