Genetic Lineages of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Acquired during Admission to an Intensive Care Unit of a General Hospital.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization or infection while on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and examine the genetic backgrounds of the MRSA isolates to establish transmission among the patients.


METHODS
This study involved screening 2,429 patients admitted to the ICU of Farwania Hospital from January 2005 to October 2007 for MRSA colonization or infection. The MRSA isolates acquired after admission were investigated using a combination of molecular typing techniques to determine their genetic backgrounds.


RESULTS
Of 2,429 patients screened, 25 (1.0%) acquired MRSA after admission to the ICU. Of the 25 MRSA, 19 (76%) isolates belonged to health care-associated (HA-MRSA) clones: ST239-III (n = 17, 68%) and ST22-IV (n = 2, 8%). The remaining 6 MRSA isolates belonged to community-associated clones: ST80-IV (n = 3, 12%), ST97-IV (n = 2, 8%), and ST5-IV (n = 1, 4%). The ST239-III-MRSA clone was associated with infection as well as colonization, and was isolated from patients from 2005 to 2007.


CONCLUSIONS
The HA-MRSA clone ST239-III persistently colonized patients admitted to the ICU, indicating the possibility of its transmission among the patients over time.
Microbiology Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Farwania Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Wadha
W
Alfouzan
Rita
R
Dhar
Edet
E
Udo
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D003428:Cross Infection; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007730:Kuwait / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents