title: Biochemical Fingerprinting of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolated From Sewage and Hospital in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is known as a common pathogen in nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Sewage acts as an environmental reservoir and may have a significant role in development and dissemination of antibiotic resistance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was undertaken to determine the epidemiological relatedness between the MRSA isolated from sewage and human infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples were collected from a referral hospital and also a sewage treatment plant in Tehran, Iran, during 2010. All the MRSA isolates were identified at the species level and typed using Phene plate (PhP) system and SCCmec typing. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1142 isolates, 200 MRSA strains from the sewage (n = 100) and the clinic (n = 100) were isolated. Distinct PhP types, consisting of 16 common types and 13 single types, and also 3 different staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types (III, IVa and IVc) were found amongst the MRSA isolated from the two different sources. The results of antibiotic susceptibility testing showed an increased resistance to penicillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline. In addition, none of the isolates showed resistance to vancomycin, quinupristin -dalfopristin and linezolid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of common PhP types and also SCCmec type III, as an indicator for hospital strains, among the isolates, may indicate an epidemiological link between clinical and sewage MRSA isolates in Tehran.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Fateh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouzari
keywords: Hospital; Methicillin- Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Sewage; Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec; Typing