Evolution and molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus epidemic and sporadic clones in Cordoba, Argentina

SOLA C; CORTES P; SAKA HA; VINDEL A; BOCCO JL

AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY

Año: 2006 vol. 44 p. 192 - 192

p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Since 1999, a new, epidemic, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain, named the "Cordobes clone," has emerged in Argentina and coexists with the pandemic Brazilian clone. The purpose of this study was to determine the stability over time of the new clone and to investigate its evolutionary relationship with epidemic international MRSA lineages and with other MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) major clones distributed in this region. One hundred three MRSA isolates recovered in 2001 from Cordoba, Argentina, hospitals and 31 MSSA strains collected from 1999 to 2002 were analyzed by thei