Re-emergence of early pandemic Staphylococcus aureus as a community-acquired meticillin-resistant clone.

Abstract

During the 1950s, the notorious penicillin-resistant clone of Staphylococcus aureus known as phage type 80/81 emerged and caused serious hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections worldwide. This clone was largely eliminated in the 1960s, concurrent with the widespread use of penicillinase-resistant beta lactams. We investigated whether early 80/81 isolates had the genes for Panton-Valentine leucocidin, a toxin associated with virulence in healthy young people. Multilocus sequence analysis suggested that descendants of 80/81 have acquired meticillin resistance, are re-emerging as a community-acquired meticillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) clone, and represent a sister lineage to pandemic hospital-acquired MRSA.

• Authors: D Ashley Robinson, Angela M Kearns, Anne Holmes, Donald Morrison, Hajo Grundmann, Giles Edwards, Frances G O'Brien, Fred C Tenover, Linda K McDougal, Alastair B Monk, Mark C Enright
• Journal: Lancet (London, England) (Lancet) 2005 Apr 2-8 Vol. 365 Issue 9466 Pg. 1256-8 ISSN: 1474-547X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 15811459 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Bacterial Toxins
• Exotoxins
• Leukocidins
• Panton-Valentine leukocidin

Topics

• Australia (epidemiology)
• Bacterial Toxins
• Bacteriophage Typing
• Canada (epidemiology)
• Community-Acquired Infections
• Disease Outbreaks
• Exotoxins
• Genes, Bacterial
• Genotype
• Humans
• Leukocidins (genetics)
• Methicillin Resistance
• Staphylococcal Infections (epidemiology, microbiology)
• Staphylococcus Phages (classification)
• Staphylococcus aureus (genetics)