title: Diversity of SCCmec elements in Staphylococci isolated from public washrooms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Staphylococci are commonly associated with antibiotic resistance in healthcare settings including resistance to methicillin and other beta lactam antibiotics primarily associated with the carriage of SCCmec mobile genetic elements. We investigated oxacillin susceptibility in 11 different species of environmental staphylococci to evaluate the potential dissemination of such resistance determinants in staphylococcal isolates from non-healthcare environments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Staphylococci isolated from public washrooms were analysed for SCCmec type and for antibiotic susceptibility. MICs to oxacillin ranged from 0.12 to 128 mg/L. Of the 32 strains investigated, there were representatives of 11 different species of staphylococci. 21 of the 32 isolates were assigned to known SCCmec types. These typeable strains primarily included those assigned to SCCmec type I (n = 8), type IV (n = 6) and type VI (n = 7). In addition to these isolates, 3 strains of EMRSA-15 were identified from different environmental sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have demonstrated the diversity of SCCmec elements in a wide range of staphylococcal species isolated from outside of healthcare settings. We have also shown that the variability in oxacillin MICs in such isolates are unrelated to species or SCCmec type. The isolation of EMRSA-15 is also of concern to infection control in the community.
authors.affiliation: Pre- Clinical Drug Discovery Group, Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK. h.mkrtchyan@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Hermine V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Mkrtchyan
authors.affiliation: Pre- Clinical Drug Discovery Group, Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK. zhen.xu@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Science Degree Programmes, Pre- Clinical Drug Discovery Group, Mile End Road, London, UK. r.cutler@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ronald R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Cutler
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D020071:Interspersed Repetitive Sequences; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D010068:Oxacillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011633:Public Facilities; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014038:Toilet Facilities
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010068:Oxacillin