Polymerase chain reaction fingerprints of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates in Greece are related to certain antibiotypes

J Microbiol Methods. 2003 Jun;53(3):417-22. doi: 10.1016/s0167-7012(02)00249-x.

Abstract

Characterization of clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and representatives of three MRSA clones from other hospitals was performed by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) and antibiotic susceptibility patterns. All isolates were mecA-positive and two main antibiotypes have been characterized. Two major clones were identified with AP-PCR related to the aforementioned antibiotypes. The combination of antibiotypes with AP-PCR patterns successfully identified the two major clones in our hospital, which are identical with the MRSA clones previously characterized in Athens and in Central and North Greece.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • DNA Fingerprinting / methods*
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
  • Greece / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Methicillin Resistance*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / methods
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Staphylococcal Infections / drug therapy
  • Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology*
  • Staphylococcus aureus / classification*
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
  • Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
  • Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents