title: Genetic diversity of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Tenerife Island, Spain.
abstract: With the recent detection of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infections in patients lacking health care-related risk factors, the term community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) has been become widely recognised. Many cases of CA-MRSA spreading to the community have been described worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the features of CA-MRSA isolates from Tenerife Island. Toward this end, one hundred MRSA isolates were collected from eight different health regions, and their molecular features were investigated. This study revealed a wide variety of MRSA clones, including an emergent ST: ST1434 (CC8) and two new spa types, t7575 (ST125) and t7678 (ST22). The PVL genes were found in only five isolates belonging to unrelated lineages, ST8, ST30 and ST22, which could indicate at least three independent introductions of PVL(+) strains to Tenerife. Moreover, we detected that hospital MRSA clones, like EMRSA-15 and EMRSA-16, had spread to the community and are now circulating in both environments. Therefore, in our study, the CDC's rules were not specific enough to distinguish CA-MRSA from HA-MRSA. Thus, we think that the current epidemiological information is not enough to discriminate between both MRSAs, and it is necessary for prevention guidelines to include the routine determination of at least the genetic background, the antimicrobial susceptibility profile, and the PVL genes of each MRSA isolate.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rivero-Pérez
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alcoba-Flórez
authors.forename: Sebastián
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Méndez-Álvarez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents