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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2007, p. 725-729, Vol. 45, No. 3
0095-1137/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JCM.01572-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

INSERM, E0230, Lyon, F-69008, France, and Université Lyon 1, Centre National de Référence des Staphylocoques, Faculté Laennec, Lyon, F-69008 France,1 W. W. Karakawa Microbial Pathogenesis Laboratory, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, 12280 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 208522
Received 30 July 2006/ Returned for modification 23 October 2006/ Accepted 17 December 2006
Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. The predominance of two capsular polysaccharides, types 5 and 8, on the surface of clinical isolates led to the development of a conjugate vaccine (StaphVAX) based on capsular polysaccharides types 5 and 8 conjugated to a carrier protein. We have studied the capsular phenotypes and genotypes of 195 isolates representative of all clinical syndromes that encompassed both hospital and community-acquired infections. These isolates were mainly detected in France between January 2001 and December 2004. In this population, most of clinical isolates (87%) expressed either capsular polysaccharide type 5 (42%) or 8 (45%), whereas 13% were nontypeable by the serotyping method with antibodies specific to capsular polysaccharide type 5 or 8. These 26 nontypeable strains were further serotyped and were demonstrated to express the cell wall surface antigen 336, a polyribitol phosphate N-acetylglucosamine, which resembles cell wall teichoic acid. Among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains, we found a predominance of serotype 5 for 64% of strains, whereas MSSA isolates were predominantly capsular serotype 8 (60%). All S. aureus clinical isolates included in the present study have been investigated by PCR method, demonstrating that all isolates carried either the cap5 or the cap8 locus.
Published ahead of print on 3 January 2007.
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