Epidemiology and Infection
- Epidemiology and Infection / Volume 138 / Issue 03 / March 2010, pp 313-317
- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0950268809990483 (About DOI), Published online: 03 August 2009
Short Report
Staphylococcus aureus is the most common identified cause of cellulitis: a systematic review
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SUMMARY
We utilized Medline to perform a systematic review of the literature to quantify the aetiology of cellulitis with intact skin. Of 808 patients with cellulitis, 127–129 (15·7–16·0%) patients had positive needle aspiration and/or punch biopsy cultures from intact skin. Of the patients with positive cultures, 65 (50·4–51·2%) had cultures positive for Staphylococcus aureus, 35 (27·1–27·6%) for group A streptococcus, and 35–37 (27·1–29·1%) for other pathogens. The most common aetiology of cellulitis with intact skin, when it can be determined, is S. aureus, outnumbering group A streptococcus by a ratio of nearly 2:1. Given the increasing incidence of community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections, our findings may have critical therapeutic implications.
(Accepted July 01 2009)
(Online publication August 03 2009)
Key Words:Cellulitis aetiology; systematic review
Correspondence:
c1 Author for correspondence: L. G. Miller, M.D., M.P.H., Division of Infectious Diseases, Harbor–UCLA Medical Center, 1000 W Carson St, Bin 466, Torrance, CA 90509, USA. (Email: lgmiller@ucla.edu)
