title: Stability of genomic DNA fragment patterns in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) during the course of intra- and interhospital spread.
abstract: The analysis of genomic DNA fragment patterns has revealed as a powerful tool for strain discrimination in Staphylococcus aureus; for use as an epidemiological marker, stability during the course of an outbreak is an essential prerequisite. Genomic DNA fragment patterns (SmaI restriction, pulsed-field electrophoresis) of four different epidemic MRSA strains were compared along with intra- and interhospital and country-wide spread over more than 12 months in Germany. Strain I was isolated from infections in 8 hospitals. In one hospital a subclone arised which differed from the original strain by 4 fragments. Strain II was spread among 4 hospitals, isolates from three of these hospitals exhibited a variability of one to three fragments in the 150-200 kb range. Two hospitals in the Hannover-area were affected by strain III; in 17 isolates of this strain a variability up to three fragments was found in the 170-200 kb range. Strain IV was isolated from 19 cases of infections in 3 hospitals in Berlin. The fragment patterns were completely stable. When S. aureus strains are typed by genomic DNA fragment patterns, a variability in a definite range of molecular masses during the course of an epidemic should be taken into consideration.
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch-Institute, Wernigerode, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Witte
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cuny
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rüchel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Höpken
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple / Q000235:genetics; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital; D014573:Urology Department, Hospital
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial