title: Three-year assessment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones in Latin America from 1996 to 1998.
abstract: Four hundred ninety-nine methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates recovered from 1996 to 1998 from 22 hospitals in five countries of Latin America-Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Mexico-were examined for antimicrobial susceptibility and clonal type in order to define the endemic clones in those hospitals. The hybridization of ClaI restriction digests with the mecA- and Tn554-specific DNA probes combined with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of chromosomal SmaI digests (ClaI-mecA::ClaI-Tn554::PFGE clonal types) documented not only the predominance and persistence of the Brazilian clone (XI::B::B) in Brazil (97%) and Argentina (86%) but also its massive dissemination to Uruguay (100%). Moreover, a close relative of the Brazilian clone (XI::kappa::B) was highly represented in Chile (53%) together with a novel clone (47%) (II::E'::F) resistant to pencillin, oxacillin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, erythromycin, and gentamicin. A unique clonal type (I::NH::M) was detected in Mexico among pediatric isolates and was resistant to penicillin, oxacillin, and gentamicin only. This study clearly documented the very large capacity for geographic expansion and the persistence of the Brazilian clone, contributing not only to the increasing uniformity of the MRSA in South America but worldwide as well.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (ITQB/UNL), Oeiras, Portugal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aires De Sousa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miragaia
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Sanches
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Casagrande
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Brandileone
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palacio
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Acqua
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hortal
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Camou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Velazquez-Meza
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Echaniz-Aviles
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Solorzano-Santos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heitmann
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Lencastre
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / Q000378:metabolism; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C025651:CCCGGG-specific type II deoxyribonucleases; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific