title: Genetic differentiation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains from Korea and Japan.
abstract: In this study, we evaluated genetic differentiation between methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains from Korea and Japan. Seventy-five MRSA strains, including 25 h VISA strains, were analyzed by molecular typing methods, including multilocus sequence typing (MLST), SCC mec typing, and spa typing. The most prevalent genotype of MRSA strains, in both Korea and Japan, was ST 5-MRSA-II with the DMGMK spa motif, characteristic of the New York/Japan MRSA clone. In spite of these common features in MRSA strains from Korea and Japan, we also observed some genotypic divergence in MRSA from the two countries. Several spa types might be differentiated from a prevalent prototype (TJMBMDMGMK) that is shared by the two countries, revealing a unique geographic distribution. SCC mec type II lacking pUB110, designated type IIA, was found more frequently in Korea than in Japan. The rate of gentamicin resistance was also dramatically different between the two countries: 87.2% (Korea) vs. 28.6% (Japan). These preliminary findings suggested that MRSA strains from Korea and Japan might have originated from a common ancestor, but then clearly differentiated according to locality. A further comprehensive study should be performed to document the hypotheses from this study.
authors.affiliation: Asian-Pacific Research Foundation for Infectious Diseases (ARFID), Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soo Ko
authors.forename: Kyong Ran
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Peck
authors.forename: Won
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sup Oh
authors.forename: Nam Yong
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hiramatsu
authors.forename: Jae-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005838:Genotype; D007564:Japan; D007723:Korea; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*