Molecular, antibiogram and serological typing of Staphylococcus aureus isolates recovered from Al-Makased Hospital in East Jerusalem.
Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial infections and a risk in patients who have either undergone surgery or are on haemodialysis. The S. aureus infections in patients admitted to the clinical departments of Al-Makased Charitable Hospital in Jerusalem during a period of one year were investigated. Isolates included were from blood, surgical wounds, or other nonsuperficial sites. Of 63 isolates available for analysis, 46 (73.0%) expressed type 8 capsular polysaccharide; 13 (20.7%), type 5 capsular polysaccharide; only 4 isolates (6.3%) did not express type 5 or type 8 antibodies. The strains fitted in 7 different antibiogram types, with the type showing resistance only to penicillin and ampicillin prevalent in 34 out of 63 isolates (54.0%). Of the 12 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates (19.1%), 8(66.7%) possessed the type 8 capsule and 4(33.7%) the type 5 capsule. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of all isolates with the restriction-endonuclease enzymes Sma I revealed 34 patterns demonstrating that no single methicillin-sensitive S. aureus strain was endemic in the hospital. However, all MRSA isolates with a type 8 capsule showed identical PFGE patterns using the 2 restriction-endonuclease enzymes Sma I and SST II. Moreover, type 5 isolates showed identical patterns (one isolate differed from the rest with one band only). These data suggest and confirm the clonality of type 5 and type 8 MRSA isolates. Analysing the results of the capsular and antibiogram typing schemes in conjunction proved useful and suggested that such an analysis can be employed as a helpful epidemiological tool in hospitals with limited resources.
Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Birzeit University, Palestine.
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Essawi
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Na'was
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Hawwari
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Wadi
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Doudin
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Fattom
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018912:Arabs; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000145:classification; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010641:Phenotype; D012703:Serotyping / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000096:biosynthesis
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D001618:beta-Lactamases