DNA fingerprinting by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis is more effective than ribotyping in distinguishing among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates.
Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) after SmaI restriction of DNA from 239 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates (from 142 patients) produced 26 different fingerprints. The deduced chromosome sizes ranged from 2,200 to 3,100 kb (+/- 100 kb). A total of 81 isolates taken from 65 patients were then typed by PFGE and ribotyping with ClaI, EcoRI, and HindIII. Ribotypes were less discriminating than PFGE. Ribotyping did not discriminate isolates from a given PFGE fingerprint into different subsets. PFGE may be a more effective epidemiological tool than ribotyping for the typing of methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains.
Prevost
G
G
Institut de Bactériologie de la Faculté de Médecine, Strasbourg, France.
Jaulhac
B
B
Piemont
Y
Y
D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
D004269:DNA, Bacterial