J Med Microbiol NEW Faster Access
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by SOARES, M. J. D. S.
Right arrow Articles by FIGUEIREDO, A. M S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by SOARES, M. J. D. S.
Right arrow Articles by FIGUEIREDO, A. M S.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by SOARES, M. J. D. S.
Right arrow Articles by FIGUEIREDO, A. M S.
J. Med. Microbiol. -- Vol. 50 (2001), 732-742
© 2001 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 0022-2615

BACTERIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AND TYPING

Analysis of different molecular methods for typing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates belonging to the Brazilian epidemic clone

MARIA J. DOS SANTOS SOARES*,{dagger}, LENISE A. TEIXEIRA{ddagger}, MARIA DO ROSÁRIO NUNES{dagger}, MARIA C. DA SILVA CARVALHO*, BERNADETE T. FERREIRA-CARVALHO* and AGNES M S. FIGUEIREDO*

*Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Microbiologia Prof. Paulo de Góes, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Bactérias, CCS, Bloco I, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-590, {dagger}Universidade Federal do Piauí, CCS, Departamento de Parasitologia e Microbiologia, SG16, Teresina, PI 64049-550 and {ddagger}Universidade Federal Fluminense, Departamento de Tecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 24241-002, Brazil

Corresponding author: Dr A.M.S. Figueiredo (e-mail address: immmasf{at}microbio.ufrj.br).

Received 24 July 2000; revised version accepted 24 Jan. 2001.

Abstract

The extensive geographic spread of MRSA isolates belonging to the Brazilian epidemic clone (BEC) limited the value of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in epidemiological studies of outbreaks caused by these strains. Thus, the discriminatory power of eight different molecular methods was evaluated in an attempt to establish a methodology for genotyping BEC isolates involved in intra-hospital outbreaks. BEC isolates from five hospitals in Teresina City, Piauí State were genotyped by conventional electrophoresis or PFGE of ClaI- or SmaI-digested genomic DNA hybridised with specific labelled mecA, Tn554, IS257 and IS256 probes. The combination of PFGE with ClaI/mecA, ClaI/Tn554, ClaI/IS257, SmaI/mecA and SmaI/IS257 probe-fingerprinting techniques provided a very poor discriminatory power for BEC strains. Although ClaI/IS256 fingerprinting discriminated 17 different polymorphisms among the isolates displaying PFGE A1 pattern, this strategy was not reproducible. In contrast, the combination of PFGE and SmaI/IS256 polymorphisms differentiated BEC isolates into nine stable polymorphisms. Thus combination of PFGE and hybridisation with IS256 probe may be recommended as a useful means of typing BEC strains involved in intra-hospital infections.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
INT J SYST EVOL MICROBIOL J MED MICROBIOL MICROBIOLOGY J GEN VIROL ALL SGM JOURNALS
Copyright © 2001 Society for General Microbiology.