title: Molecular epidemiology and household transmission of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Hong Kong.
abstract: This study evaluated the clinical and epidemiologic features of individuals with community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in Hong Kong from January 2004 through December 2005. Twenty-four episodes of skin and soft tissue infections and 1 episode of meningitis due to CA-MRSA were identified. CA-MRSA infections or carriage was found in 6 (13%) of 46 household contacts. A total of 29 isolates were analyzed by the Staphylococcus cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing. In addition, polymerase chain reaction detection of the genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin was also carried out. It was observed that 24 had SCCmec IV/IVA and 5 had SCCmec V, and 23 were pvl positive. PFGE analysis clustered all except 1 isolate into 3 pulsed-field types (PFTs), HKU100 through HKU300. The HKU100 isolates had genotype ST30-IV identical to the Southwest Pacific clone. The HKU200 isolates belonged to ST59-V and were multiresistant, including an ermB-mediated macrolide resistance trait, which is characteristic of the predominant CA-MRSA clone in Taiwan. The HKU300 isolates had unique features (ST8, Panton-Valentine leukocidin negative, and SCCmec IVA) typical of CA-MRSA in Japan. In conclusion, CA-MRSA has a propensity to spread within families. Our findings showed that CA-MRSA strains in Hong Kong have diverse genetic backgrounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Centre of Infection, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, PR China. plho@khucc.hku.hk
authors.forename: Pak-Leung
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Gannon C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: Cindy W S
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: Tak-Keung
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Chris H Y
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Tak-Lun
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Que
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Raymond W M
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Raymond W H
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Yung
authors.forename: Kwok-Yung
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Yuen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D016358:Contact Tracing; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*