Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus infection

Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus infection is an infection due to Staphylococcus aureus strains characterized in the sources as vancomycin-intermediate or vancomycin intermediate-resistant ^[1][2][3][4]. The cited literature frames VISA as a resistance phenotype relevant to treatment selection and outcomes in sterile-site disease, particularly within studies comparing VISA with non-VISA methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections ^[1]. Source-backed detail on formal case definitions, laboratory thresholds, or standard nomenclature beyond the term VISA is not yet available in the provided material ^[1][2][3][4].

The provided evidence does not describe a characteristic symptom complex, organ-specific syndrome, or pathognomonic clinical presentation for VISA infection, beyond inclusion of sterile-site infections in a clinical cohort ^[1]. In the referenced study, clinical outcomes were analyzed using 30-day all-cause mortality, and factors associated with mortality included pneumonia, unknown source of infection, APACHE II score, solid-organ malignancy, and admission from skilled care facilities ^[1]. The study also reported that VISA infection did not result in excess mortality compared with non-VISA S. aureus infection, and that time to appropriate antimicrobial therapy was not significantly associated with outcome ^[1]. Source-backed detail on complications, duration of illness, or typical course is not yet available ^[1].

The sources indicate that VISA infections have been increasing in incidence, but they do not provide population rates, geographic distribution, or a broader surveillance denominator ^[1]. One single-center retrospective cohort identified 354 patients with sterile-site S. aureus infection, including 87 VISA cases and 267 MRSA cases, over the period June 2009 to February 2015 ^[1]. The evidence therefore supports occurrence in hospitalized sterile-site infection cohorts, but not a population-wide burden estimate or outbreak pattern ^[1]. Source-backed detail on reservoir, seasonality, or community distribution is not yet available ^[1].

The provided sources do not state a specific transmission route for VISA infection ^[1][2][3][4]. What is supported is that the organism is S. aureus and that the clinical study concerned sterile-site infections, which implies invasive infection rather than an exposure route description ^[1]. Source-backed detail on person-to-person spread, environmental persistence, or specific exposure mechanisms is not yet available ^[1].

The only risk-related information supported by the sources is the association of mortality with pneumonia, unknown source of infection, higher APACHE II score, solid-organ malignancy, and admission from skilled care facilities in the studied cohort ^[1]. These are outcome-associated factors in one retrospective study, not established susceptibility groups for acquisition, and they should be interpreted conservatively ^[1]. Source-backed detail on age-specific risk, healthcare exposure patterns beyond skilled care facility admission, or other high-risk populations is not yet available ^[1].

The sources do not provide disease-specific prevention measures, screening recommendations, or infection-control guidance for VISA ^[1][2][3][4]. The available evidence only indicates that timely receipt of appropriate antimicrobial therapy was examined as an outcome-related factor in one cohort, without establishing a preventive strategy ^[1]. Source-backed detail on prophylaxis, decolonization, or public-health control measures is not yet available ^[1].

In surveillance settings, VISA should be interpreted as an antimicrobial-resistance phenotype of S. aureus rather than as a distinct syndrome with a well-described symptom profile in the provided sources ^[1][2][3][4]. The best-supported monitoring context here is sterile-site infection, where VISA cases were compared with MRSA cases and mortality was assessed over 30 days ^[1]. Because the materials do not provide standardized case criteria or population thresholds, any local count or trend should be interpreted cautiously as source-backed detail on surveillance definitions is not yet available ^[1].

1. 1 Burnham JP et al. Impact of Time to Appropriate Therapy on Mortality in Patients with Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus Infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016 Sep. PMID: 27401565. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00925-16. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27401565/
2. 2 Vancomycin-intermediate resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance. 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.jgar.2014.04.006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgar.2014.04.006
3. 3 Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. 2000. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/57.14.1370. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/57.14.1370
4. 4 Vancomycin intermediate-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 1998. doi: 10.1345/aph.18017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1345/aph.18017
5. 5 Vancomycin Intermediate-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (VISA). Orthopaedic Nursing. 2000. doi: 10.1097/00006416-200019060-00009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00006416-200019060-00009

ICD-10

ICD-11

Total cases

101

Peak month

2019-04

Coverage

1 reporting countries · 2019-02-09 → 2026-06-20