Evolutionary dynamics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus within a healthcare system.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the past decade, several countries have seen gradual replacement of endemic multi-resistant healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with clones that are more susceptible to antibiotic treatment. One example is Singapore, where MRSA ST239, the dominant clone since molecular profiling of MRSA began in the mid-1980s, has been replaced by ST22 isolates belonging to EMRSA-15, a recently emerged pandemic lineage originating from Europe.

Results

We investigated the population structure of MRSA in Singaporean hospitals spanning three decades, using whole genome sequencing. Applying Bayesian phylogenetic methods we report that prior to the introduction of ST22, the ST239 MRSA population in Singapore originated from multiple introductions

SUBMITTER: Hsu LY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4407387 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature