Pneumonia Caused by Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a common human pathogen, and over the past 90 years has been increasingly recognized as an important cause of pneumonia. The epidemiology of staphylococcal pneumonia has changed over this time period, and S. aureus is now a frequent cause of both community-acquired and hospital-acquired pneumonia including ventilator- associated pneumonia. This article reviews the important changes in the epidemiology and microbiology of S. aureus, the clinical features of S. aureus pneumonia, and considerations in antibiotic therapy for this disease.