Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Persistent Staphylococcal Bacteremia in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Clinical outcomes of persistent staphylococcal bacteremia vary depending on the causative organism. This secondary data analysis study compared the clinical characteristics of persistent Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)- and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS)-caused bacteremia, focusing on the methicillin-resistant status. This study used data collected from patients who underwent blood cultures between January 2012 and December 2021 at Tohoku University Hospital, Japan. Patients with persistent staphylococcal bacteremia were divided into groups based on the pathogen and methicillin-resistant status, and their characteristics were analyzed. The primary outcomes were early (30-day), late (30–90 days), and 90-day mortality rates. The early, late, and 90-day mortality rates were similar between the persistent CoNS and S. aureus bacteremia groups. Patients with persistent methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) bacteremia tended to have higher early, late, and 90-day mortality rates than those with persistent methicillin-susceptible S. aureus bacteremia (not statistically significant). No differences were observed between the methicillin-resistant and-susceptible CoNS groups. In patients with persistent CoNS bacteremia, mortality tended to increase, especially in debilitated or immunocompromised patients with distant metastases, underscoring the importance of infection source control. Mortality tended to be high in patients with persistent MRSA bacteremia, especially when persistent bacteremia clearance was not confirmed, illustrating the need for careful therapeutic management.