Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the extent of EMRSA-15 spread in hospitals in Singapore. Molecular analysis of 197 non-duplicate meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates collected from five acute care public hospitals in Singapore in May 2005 revealed that 66 (33.5%) were EMRSA-15 while 121 (61.4%) belonged to the endemic multidrug-resistant ST239 clone. Median and mode vancomycin MIC for both major clones of health-care-associated MRSA were relatively high at 2.0 microg ml-1. Subsequent laboratory surveillance data collected from the first half of 2006 confirmed increasing numbers of the EMRSA-15 clone--ranging from 25.0 to 66.1% of all MRSA isolated in local hospitals--replacing the ST239 clone island-wide.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
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Cluster Analysis
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Cross Infection / epidemiology
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Cross Infection / microbiology*
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DNA, Bacterial / genetics
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Disease Outbreaks*
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Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
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Endemic Diseases
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Genotype
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Hospitals
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Humans
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Methicillin Resistance
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Molecular Epidemiology
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Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / genetics
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Singapore / epidemiology
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Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology
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Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology*
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Staphylococcus aureus / classification*
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Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
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Staphylococcus aureus / genetics*
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Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
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Vancomycin / pharmacology
Substances
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Anti-Bacterial Agents
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DNA, Bacterial
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Vancomycin