title: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the hospitals of central Greece.
abstract: A total of 250 consecutive Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates were collected during the period 1999-2000 from the five major hospitals of the district of Thessaly (Central Greece). Thirty seven (14.8%) of the isolates were mecA-positive (MRSA) in a PCR-based assay; all exhibited resistance to oxacillin (agar dilution MICs > or =4 mg/L) and were also resistant to multiple antibiotics. Most of the MRSA isolates had been collected in the intensive care units and the surgical wards of the participating hospitals in a sporadic fashion. The MRSA incidence found here was significantly lower than reported in previous studies from Greece. Molecular typing by PFGE showed that the MRSA isolates were distributed between three pulsotypes. Evaluation of various conventional methods for assessing methicillin resistance showed that oxacillin agar dilution and immunological detection of PBP2a with the Slidex MRSA Detection kit were the most reliable in this setting. Misclassifications of isolates exhibiting low-level resistance (oxacillin MIC 2-4 mg/L) occurred with the salt agar screen, the oxacillin disk diffusion and the ATB Staph System methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petinaki
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Miriagou
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Tzouvelekis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pournaras
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hatzi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kontos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maniati
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Maniatis
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D006757:Hospital Units; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D010068:Oxacillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010406:Penicillins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase; D010068:Oxacillin