Fig. 2

ETT (a) and ETT cuff (b) MRSA load (log₁₀ CFU/mL) in the vancomycin (VAN) and linezolid (LNZ) groups. Each dot represents the MRSA load of each ETT and ETT cuff included into the treatment groups. Black central lines depict median value, while upper and lower gray lines display the 25th and 75th percentiles. Median [IQR] ETT MRSA load was not inferior in the LNZ group (0.74 [0–4.26] vs 2.25 [0–3.21] log₁₀ CFU/mL, p = 0.83), whereas ETT cuff load was significantly lower in the LNZ-treated patients compared with the VAN treatment group (0 [0–0.75] vs. 3.50 [0.52–5.48] log₁₀ CFU/mL, p = 0.008). ETT, endotracheal tube; MRSA, methicillin-resistant S. aureus; CFU, colony-forming units