Persistent MRSA Bacteremia - A Diagnostic Conundrum

of up to 20% [2]. Persistent bacteremia, defined by the presence of a positive culture despite 7 days of treatment, poses significant clinical challenges; including an extended hospital stay and ad-verse effects from the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Several studies have shown that persistent bacteremia is associated with significantly higher mortality rates when compared to non-persistent controls [2,3]. We present an interesting case report of an adult female patient with primary persistent MRSA bacteremia without a clear identifiable source despite an extensive workup. is increasing. Timely treat- ment of MRSA bacteremia is important because it is associated with a 30-day all-cause mortality rate of up to 20%. We present an interesting case report of a patient with primary MRSA bacteremia without a clear identifiable source despite an extensive workup. Our patient was a 40-year old female with a past medical history significant for obesity and chronic smoking, who presented with a 10-day history of worsening acute back pain associated with intermittent episodes of subjective fever, nausea and vomiting. With the initiation of antibiotics, the patient experienced improvement in her initial symptoms, yet blood cultures remained positive for 9 days. Collaboration between the infectious disease and internal medicine teams was crucial for management of our patient. Abstract