Lung
Infectious
Bacterial
Staphylococcus aureus
Author: Elliot Weisenberg, M.D.
Last author update: 1 September 2011
Last staff update: 9 August 2020
Copyright: 2003-2025, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed search: Staphylococcus aureus [title] pulmonary infection
Cite this page: Weisenberg E. Staphylococcus aureus. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/lungnontumorstaphpneumonia.html. Accessed April 2nd, 2025.
Clinical features
- Uncommon life threatening pneumonia that may be community acquired or hospital acquired
- Traditionally caused by S. aureus, but infections by S. epidermidis are increasing (eMedicine)
- Variable clinical presentation, but patients are acutely ill, often with septicemia or a viral infection
- High risk: comatose patients, neurosurgery or HIV+ patients
- Abscesses and empyema are common complications, have high rate of severe morbidity and mortality
- Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia can be deadly (Clin Microbiol Rev 2010;23:616); both community and hospital acquired cases are developing resistance to clindamycin, but are sensitive to trimethoprim / sulfamethoxazole (Am J Med Sci 2012;343:196)
- Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a rare (< 5% of stains) Staphylococcus aureus cytotoxin which causes WBC destruction and tissue necrosis; emerging as a serious problem worldwide (Clin Infect Dis 1999;29:1128, Wikipedia)
- No vaccine available (BMC Public Health 2011;11 Suppl 3:S27)
Diagnosis
- Radiology patterns includes lobar or miliary
- Rapid test uses gram stain and bacterial ATP assay on BAL fluid (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2005;129:78)
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Pyogenic response with tissue destruction
