Binary IS typing for Staphylococcus aureus.
BACKGROUND
We present an easily applicable test for rapid binary typing of Staphylococcus aureus: binary interspace (IS) typing. This test is a further development of a previously described molecular typing technique that is based on length polymorphisms of the 16S-23S rDNA interspace region of S. aureus.


RESULTS
A novel approach of IS-typing was performed in which binary profiles are created. 424 human and animal derived MRSA and MSSA isolates were tested and a subset of these isolates was compared with multi locus sequence typing (MLST) and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP). Binary IS typing had a high discriminatory potential and a good correlation with MLST and AFLP.


CONCLUSIONS
Binary IS typing is easy to perform and binary profiles can be generated in a standardized fashion. These two features, combined with the high correlation with MLST clonal complexes, make the technique applicable for large-scale inter-laboratory molecular epidemiological comparisons.
Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. d.budding@vumc.nl
Andries E
AE
Budding
Christina M J E
CM
Vandenbroucke-Grauls
Damian C
DC
Melles
Engeline
E
van Duijkeren
Jan A
JA
Kluytmans
Paul H M
PH
Savelkoul
D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification*
D004275:DNA, Ribosomal