title: Epidemiological and microbiological analysis of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from a Japanese hospital.
abstract: Reports of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA)  infections have recently increased in Japan; however, these studies contain limited information on  their epidemiology. We performed a single-center study in the Tokyo Medical University Hospital  located in Shinjuku, a central area of Tokyo, Japan. From 2,099 MRSA isolates obtained during  July 2007 to March 2009, we selected 44 MRSA isolates with a MIC of <2 μg/mL for imipenem. Among  44 isolates, 28 strains had type IV or type V SCCmec, and we classified them as CA-MRSA. We  identified only 1 Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive MRSA strain, which belonged to SCCmec  type V. The PVL-positive CA-MRSA strain was isolated from a patient with multiple subcutaneous  abscesses. The patient had returned to Japan from India; thus, the strain may have been contracted  from outside of Japan. Thirteen (46.4%) and 15 strains (53.6%) were isolated from outpatients and  inpatients, respectively. The major sites of infection included the respiratory tract (8 strains,  28.6%), skin/soft tissue (4 strains, 14.3%), and nasal cavity (4 strains, 14.3%). It is important  to note that the most common site of CA-MRSA infection in inpatients was the respiratory tract;  respiratory infections with CA-MRSA frequently cause severe infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Itaru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D015378:Imipenem / Q000494:pharmacology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D058889:Molecular Typing; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D014041:Tokyo; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin; D015378:Imipenem