Glycopeptide Intermediate Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (GISA) death in Scotland

Laboratory tests have confirmed that a patient who died last week in a hospital in, Lanarkshire, Scotland, was infected with a Glycopeptide Intermediate Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (GISA) (1). GISA has increased resistance to first line antibiotics used for treating infections caused by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), namely, vancomycin and teicoplanin (2). This is the second report of an infection with this organism for Scotland, and possibly the first report in the United Kingdom of an associated death. (3).