title: Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carrying SCCmec type IV in southern Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen commonly associated with nosocomial infections. However, it has also been associated with community-acquired skin and soft tissue infections (CA-MRSA). There are few data on the identification and prevalence of CA-MRSA infections in Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional study of 104 patients with community-acquired skin infections attending two health care centers in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. MRSA isolates were characterized by molecular methods, including detection of the mecA gene by PCR, gene SCCmec typing, Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) detection, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST).
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the 104 samples, 58 Staphylococcus aureus isolates were obtained, of which five (8.6%) had a CA-MRSA-resistant profile. All five isolates had the mecA gene and amplified to SCCmec type IV. Analysis of chromosomal DNA by PFGE revealed the presence of two clusters related to international clones (OSPC and USA 300), with a Dice similarity coefficient >80%. The study was complemented by MLST, which detected three different strains: ST30, ST8, and ST45, the latter not presenting any relation with the clones compared in PFGE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of CA-MRSA reveals an important change in the epidemiology of this pathogen and adds new elements to the knowledge of the molecular biology of infections by MRSA with SCCmec type IV in southern Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Cocos Gram-positivos, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. lucianegelatti@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Luciane Cristina
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Gelatti
authors.forename: Renan Rangel
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Bonamigo
authors.forename: Fernanda Matsiko
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Mirian Silva do
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Carmo
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Fernanda Marques da Silva
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Castrucci
authors.forename: Antônio Carlos Campos
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pignatari
authors.forename: Pedro Alves
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: D' Azevedo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005098:Exotoxins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007956:Leukocidins; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin