Linezolid is used to treat infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We describe the first report of linezolid dependence in MRSA. The strain was isolated from a respiratory sample of a cystic fibrosis patient, and it showed a thymidine-dependent small-colony variant phenotype. The effect was not related to any known mechanisms implicated in S. aureus resistance to linezolid. The clinical significance of this phenomenon needs further investigation.
Keywords: Cystic fibrosis; MRSA; dependence; linezolid; small-colony variant.
Copyright © 2015 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.