Molecular and phenotypic characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from hospitalized patients in transplantation wards.
OBJECTIVE
Hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) frequently causes therapeutic problems and provides information about the epidemiological condition of the ward.


METHODS
HA-MRSA isolated from patients on transplantation wards in 1991, 1994, 1996, and from 2005 to 2007 were compared using molecular methods such as restriction fragment length polymorphism-pulse field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection type of staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec, and PCR for detection.


RESULTS
The analysis covered HA-MRSA strains, each from a different patient. All organisms were typed using molecular methods. MLST results were compared with an international base. The examined strains belonged to five different worldwide known clonal complexes: CC8 (78%), CC5 (12%), CC1 (4%), CC30 (2%), and CC51 (4%). All could be recognized as representatives of a clonal complex CC8 clones: ST239-III (sequence type 239 and SCCmec type III named EMRSA-1, -4, -11, Brasilian, Hungarian) occurred with a frequency of 35.9%, ST254-IV (EMRSA-10, Hannover) occurred in 33.3%, ST247-I (EMRSA-5,-7, Iberian) occurred in 20.5%, ST241-III (Finland-UK) occurred in 5.15%, and ST8-IV (EMRSA-2,-6) occurred in 5.15%.


CONCLUSIONS
The predomination of different clones of HA-MRSA in the particular years was observed. In 1991, the EMRSA-10 (Hannover) clone predominated (53.3%). The Brasilian-Hungarian (EMRSA-1, -4, -11) clone predominated in 1994 (50%) as well as from 2005 to 2007 (41.3%), whereas in 1996 the Iberian clone was most frequent (53.9%).
Department of Dental Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
A
A
Mlynarczyk
Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
K
K
Szymanek-Majchrzak
Department of Antibiotics and Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
W
W
Grzybowska
Department of Transplant Medicine and Nephrology, Transplantation Institute, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
M
M
Durlik
Department of Transplant Medicine and Nephrology, Transplantation Institute, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
D
D
Deborska-Materkowska
Department of Immunology, Transplantology and Internal Diseases, Transplantation Institute, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
L
L
Paczek
Department of General and Transplantation Surgery, Transplantation Institute, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
A
A
Chmura
Department of Dental Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
E
E
Swoboda-Kopec
Department of Antibiotics and Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
S
S
Tyski
Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: grazyna.mlynarczyk@wum.edu.pl.
G
G
Mlynarczyk
D002999:Clone Cells; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000235:genetics*; D066027:Transplant Recipients