This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
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 arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Petersdorf, S.
Right arrow Articles by Wendt, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Petersdorf, S.
Right arrow Articles by Wendt, C.

Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2006, p. 4297-4302, Vol. 44, No. 12
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01168-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Longitudinal Study of the Molecular Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus at a University Hospital{triangledown}

Sabine Petersdorf, Klaus Oberdorfer, and Constanze Wendt*

Hygiene-Institut, University of Heidelberg, INF 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Received 7 June 2006/ Returned for modification 24 July 2006/ Accepted 22 September 2006

Surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at the University Hospital of Heidelberg revealed an increase in the numbers of newly detected MRSA isolates in recent years. We conducted a study to assess the dynamics of the changes in the MRSA population. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing of MRSA isolates from all patients at the University Hospital of Heidelberg collected between 1993 and 2004 was performed. The microbiology database contained 1,807 entries for newly detected MRSA isolates from 1,301 patients. A total of 1,252 isolates were available for PFGE typing. The isolates could be classified into 109 different PFGE types. Most PFGE types (n = 70) were detected less than five times and showed no evidence of transmission (sporadic strains). They accounted for 8.7% of all isolates, with few variations in frequency over the time. Thirty-seven PFGE types were clustered by time of detection, and transmission of the strains was likely (local epidemic strains). A total of 37.3% of the isolates belonged to this group of strains. The remaining 54.0% of the isolates belonged to only two further PFGE types (endemic strains). One endemic strain accounted for 5.0% of all isolates in 1994 and 68.2% in 2004. A second endemic strain was detected in 1.1% of all isolates in 1998 but in 12.4% in 2004. Statistical analysis of the associations between the kind of strain (sporadic, local epidemic, or endemic) and the patients' characteristics revealed a significant association for age and mode of acquisition. The remarkable increase in the rate of MRSA detection at the University Hospital of Heidelberg is mainly due to the dissemination of two different strains. Infection control measures seemed sufficient to prevent further transmission of some but not all of the strains.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Hygiene Institut, University of Heidelberg, INF 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Phone: 49-6221-568202. Fax: 49-6221-564343. E-mail: constanze_wendt{at}med.uni-heidelberg.de.

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 4 October 2006.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2006, p. 4297-4302, Vol. 44, No. 12
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01168-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Molina, A., Del Campo, R., Maiz, L., Morosini, M.-I., Lamas, A., Baquero, F., Canton, R. (2008). High prevalence in cystic fibrosis patients of multiresistant hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST228-SCCmecI capable of biofilm formation. J Antimicrob Chemother 62: 961-967 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wolter, D. J., Chatterjee, A., Varman, M., Goering, R. V. (2008). Isolation and Characterization of an Epidemic Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus 15 Variant in the Central United States. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 3548-3549 [Full Text]  
  • Swoboda, S., Ober, M., Hainer, C., Lichtenstern, C., Seiler, C., Wendt, C., Hoppe-Tichy, T., Buchler, M., Weigand, M. A. (2008). Tigecycline for the treatment of patients with severe sepsis or septic shock: a drug use evaluation in a surgical intensive care unit. J Antimicrob Chemother 61: 729-733 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»