Clonal spread of SCCmec type IV methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus between community and hospital.
The staphylococcal chromosome cassette (SCC)mec types of 382 hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) isolates in Taiwan were analysed over a 7-year period (1999-2005). There was an abrupt increase in SCCmec type IV in HA-MRSA during 2005. The molecular epidemiology of a subset (n = 69) of HA-MRSA isolates with SCCmec types III, IV or V was characterised and compared with that of community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) (n = 26, collected during 2005). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed three major pulsotypes (A, B and C) and 15 minor clones. Pulsotypes B and C, which contained isolates carrying SCCmec types IV and V, respectively, included both CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA isolates. Among 24 toxin genes analysed, five genes had significant differential distribution between CA-MRSA and SCCmec type III HA-MRSA. Furthermore, among SCCmec type IV isolates, the seb gene was detected more commonly in HA-MRSA. Analysis of representative members of the three major pulsotypes by multilocus sequence typing revealed two sequence types (STs), namely ST239 (SCCmecIII) and ST59 (SCCmecIV or SCCmecV). This suggests that ST59:SCCmecIV, which is usually community-acquired, has become an important nosocomial pathogen in the hospital studied.
Huang
Y H
YH
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tseng
S P
SP
Hu
J M
JM
Tsai
J C
JC
Hsueh
P R
PR
Teng
L J
LJ
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins