Predictors ofagrDysfunction in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Isolates among Patients with MRSA Bloodstream Infections
ABSTRACTDespite emerging evidence that dysfunction in the accessory gene regulator (agr) locus is associated with deleterious outcomes among patients treated with vancomycin for methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) infections, factors predictive ofagrdysfunction have not been evaluated. This study describes the epidemiology ofagrdysfunction, identifies predictors ofagrdysfunction in MRSA isolates among those with MRSA bloodstream infections, and describes the relationship betweenagrdysfunction and other microbiologic phenotypes. A cross-sectional study of patients with MRSA bloodstream infections at two institutions in upstate New York was performed. Clinical data on demographics, comorbidities, disease severity, hospitalization history, and antibiotic history were collected. Microbiologic phenotypes, includingagrdysfunction, MIC values by broth microdilution (BMD) and Etest, and vancomycin heteroresistance (hVISA) were tested. Multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors predictive ofagrdysfunction. Among 200 patients with an MRSA bloodstream infection, the proportion of strains withagrdysfunction was 31.5%. The distribution of MICs determined by both BMD and Etest were equivalent acrossagrgroups, and there was no association betweenagrdysfunction and the presence of hVISA. Severity of illness, comorbidities, and hospitalization history were comparable betweenagrgroups. In the multivariate analysis, prior antibiotic exposure was the only factor of variables studied found to be predictive ofagrdysfunction. This relationship was predominantly driven by prior beta-lactam and fluoroquinolone administration in the bivariate analysis. Identifying these institution-specific risk factors can be used to develop a process to assess the risk ofagrdysfunction and guide empirical antibiotic therapy decisions.