Central nervous system infection caused by vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (SCCmec type IV, ST8)

A 77-year-old Japanese man with a history of surgical treatment of chronic subdural hemorrhage was hospitalized for drainage of a subdural abscess and brain abscess in the right occipital area. Pus obtained from both the subdural abscess and brain abscess grew vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) (minimum inhibitory concentration = 4 μg/mL), which was confirmed by population analysis. The SCCmec type and sequence type were subsequently identified as IV and ST8, respectively. The VISA strains were both sensitive to levofloxacin, clindamycin, minocycline, and linezolid. The patient was successfully treated with linezolid and discharged on day 51 after admission. We herein describe the first reported case of a brain abscess and subdural abscess caused by VISA in Japan.