title: Distribution of major genotypes among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones in Asian countries.
abstract: To investigate the evolutionary pattern and genotypic characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains in the Asian region, 74 MRSA strains isolated from 12 Asian countries were analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and SCCmec typing. Overall, a total of 16 genotypes based on sequence type and SCCmec types were identified among MRSA strains from Asian countries. Data revealed two major genotypes of MRSA strains in Asia, with unique geographic distributions. By MLST analysis, all strains from Korea and Japan except one belonged to clonal complex 5 (CC5) while most MRSA isolates from other Asian countries belonged to CC239. SCCmec typing showed that most isolates from Korea and Japan were SSmec type II whereas SCCmec type III (or IIIA) was the most common type in strains from other Asian countries. Our data documented a unique geographic distribution and evolutionary pattern of MRSA clones in Asia.
authors.affiliation: Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine Asian-Pacific Research Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 50 II-won dong, Kangnam-ku, Seoul 135-710, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwan Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Ji-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ji Yoeun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Won Sup
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Kyong Ran
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Peck
authors.forename: Nam Yong
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jae-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins