Community-associated Staphylococcus

aureus skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are a common reason healthy and immunocompromised persons seek medical attention [1, 2]. In the United States, the emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) infections has dramatically shifted SSTI epidemiology. Visits to US physician offices, hospital outpatient de-partments, and emergency departments for SSTIs increased by 50 % between 1997 and 2004 [3], and hospital admissions increased by 29 % during 2000–2004 [4]. These increases appear to be driven by the dramatic increase in CA-MRSA in