No evidence of colonization with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in HIV-1-infected men who have sex with men.

To assess the prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) colonization in HIV-1-infected men who have sex with men (MSM), a cross-sectional study was conducted on 104 persons attending a large STI/HIV unit in Rome, Italy in the period June 2007-June 2008. Swabs obtained from both anterior nares and S. aureus isolates were characterized by phenotypic and genotypic methods. A total of 24 individuals (23.1%) were colonized with S. aureus but none carried MRSA. No statistically significant association between colonization with S. aureus and behavioural, clinical, virological or immunological characteristics was identified. This study indicates a lack of circulation of CA-MRSA in HIV-1-infected MSM in Italy and underscores large epidemiological differences between the USA and a European country, so that only locally conducted epidemiological studies can provide insight into the local circulation of CA-MRSA in general and selected populations.

Simultaneous occurrence of linear scleroderma and homolateral segmental vitiligo.

Localized scleroderma and vitiligo only rarely have been reported to occur simultaneously. Here we report a case of a 21 year old man affected with both linear scleroderma of the left upper limb and homolateral segmental vitiligo of the trunk. Since the two diseases appeared during the same period, involved the same side of the body and their progression paralleled, a possible non-coincidental association between these two diseases is discussed.