title: Diversity of community acquired MRSA carrying the PVL gene in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.
abstract: Emergence and dissemination of community acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains are being reported with increasing frequency in Australia and worldwide. These strains of CA-MRSA are genetically diverse and distinct in Australia. Genotyping of CA-MRSA using eight highly-discriminatory single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is a rapid and robust method for monitoring the dissemination of these strains in the community. In this study, a SNP genotyping method was used to investigate the molecular epidemiology of 249 community acquired non-multiresistant MRSA (nm-MRSA) isolates over a 12-month period from routine diagnostic specimens. A real-time PCR for the presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) was also performed on these isolates. The CA-MRSA isolates were sourced from a large private laboratory in Brisbane, Australia that serves a wide geographic region encompassing Queensland and Northern New South Wales. This study identified 16 different STs and 98% of the CA-MRSA isolates were positive for the PVL gene. The most common ST was ST93 with 41% of isolates testing positive for this clone.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Medical Laboratory, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: M-E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huygens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin; D037521:Virulence Factors