title: Characterisation of MRSA strains isolated from patients in a hospital in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is spreading worldwide and poses a serious public health problem, being present in hospital settings and communities. However, from the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula few molecular typing data on MRSA strains are currently available. In order to obtain data on the population structure of MRSA in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 107 clinical and environmental MRSA isolates were genotyped using a microarray-based assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five major MRSA strains from four clonal complexes were identified CC8/ST239-III (20.75%), PVL-positive as well as -negative CC22-IV (18.87% and 9.43%, respectively), PVL-positive CC30-IV (12.26%) and PVL-positive CC80-IV (17.92%). Minor strains, which accounted for less than 3% each, included CC1-IV/SCCfus, PVL-positive CC1/ST772-V, PVL-positive as well as- negative CC5-IV, CC5-IV/SCCfus, CC5-V, CC6-IV, CC45-IV, PVL-negative CC80-IV, PVL-positive CC88-IV, CC97-V and a CC9/ST834-MRSA strain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Typing of MRSA strains from Riyadh revealed a high diversity of clonal complexes. The prevalence of the genes encoding the Panton-Valentine leukocidin was surprisingly high (54.21%), and a significant rate of resistance markers was detected also in strains considered as community-associated.
authors: Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany. monecke@rocketmail.com
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Monecke
authors: Leila
authors: L
authors: Skakni
authors: Rami
authors: R
authors: Hasan
authors: Antje
authors: A
authors: Ruppelt
authors: Sameeh S
authors: SS
authors: Ghazal
authors: Ahmed
authors: A
authors: Hakawi
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Slickers
authors: Ralf
authors: R
authors: Ehricht
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058889:Molecular Typing; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin; D037521:Virulence Factors