Re-emergence of early pandemic Staphylococcus aureus as a community-acquired meticillin-resistant clone.
During the 1950s, the notorious penicillin-resistant clone of Staphylococcus aureus known as phage type 80/81 emerged and caused serious hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections worldwide. This clone was largely eliminated in the 1960s, concurrent with the widespread use of penicillinase-resistant beta lactams. We investigated whether early 80/81 isolates had the genes for Panton-Valentine leucocidin, a toxin associated with virulence in healthy young people. Multilocus sequence analysis suggested that descendants of 80/81 have acquired meticillin resistance, are re-emerging as a community-acquired meticillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) clone, and represent a sister lineage to pandemic hospital-acquired MRSA.
Robinson
D Ashley
DA
Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
Kearns
Angela M
AM
Holmes
Anne
A
Morrison
Donald
D
Grundmann
Hajo
H
Edwards
Giles
G
O'Brien
Frances G
FG
Tenover
Fred C
FC
McDougal
Linda K
LK
Monk
Alastair B
AB
Enright
Mark C
MC
D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001434:Bacteriophage Typing; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005098:Exotoxins; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013204:Staphylococcus Phages / Q000145:classification; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics*
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin