title: The genetic structure of Staphylococcus aureus populations from the Southwest Pacific.
abstract: The genetic structure of Staphylococcus aureus populations sampled from diverse regions of the globe have been the subject of numerous investigations. Here we describe the structure of S. aureus populations collected from the Southwest Pacific. Multi-locus sequence typing was performed on 467 isolates obtained from people with nasal colonization or bacteremia in Auckland (NZ), and patients predominantly affected by skin and soft tissue infection in Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. The predominant sequence types (STs) varied between Auckland (ST5), Fiji (ST30), and Samoa (ST1), however, the overall genetic diversity within each region did not differ significantly between locations. Divergent Clonal Complex 75 (CC75) strains were isolated in Auckland and Fiji. When diversity of the Southwest Pacific populations was compared with those previously described from Asia, Europe, North America and Africa no significant differences were detected. With the exception of CC75 strains, the global collection of S. aureus encompasses relatively little diversity, with novel STs arising locally from a small number of widespread lineages.
authors.affiliation: NZ Institute for Advanced Study and Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand; Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: NZ Institute for Advanced Study and Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Rainey
mesh_terms: D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D058974:Phylogeography; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics*