JAC Advance Access originally published online on October 26, 2006
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2007 59(1):1-4; doi:10.1093/jac/dkl429
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Leading article |
The potential clinical impact of low-level antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus
Hospital Saint-Joseph 185 rue Raymond Losserand, 75014 Paris, France
*Tel: +33-1-44-12-36-50; Fax: +-33-1-44-12-36-85; E-mail: fgoldstein{at}hopital-saint-joseph.org
Low-level antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is a frequently overlooked phenomenon, usually not detected by standard susceptibility testing procedures. It represents a gateway to high-level clinically relevant resistance. Moreover, low-level resistance may be associated with increased virulence, resistance to unrelated compounds and more successful in vivo survival.
Keywords: borderline activity , staphylococci , antimicrobials