title: Geographic dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains: a French regional study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains collected in eight hospitals located in the same region of France (Brittany) over a short period (January 1999-July 2000). Ninety-two isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus were characterised by their pulsotype and their antibiotype. Pulsotype analysis permitted the definition of three clusters. Two of them comprised 83% of the studied isolates. Phenotypic analysis showed two major antibiotypes, widespread in Brittany but with a heterogeneous geographic distribution and one antibiotype fitting the definition of glycopeptide intermediate S. aureus. These data argue for the high epidemicity of methicillin-resistant S. aureus among the same region.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Bactériologie-Virologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 2, rue Henri-Le-Guilloux, 35033 Rennes cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Preney
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caillon
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vaucel
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ygout
authors.forename: P-Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Donnio
mesh_terms: D005602:France; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*