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

Robinson, D Ashley; Kearns, Angela M; Holmes, Anne; Morrison, Donald; Grundmann, Hajo; Edwards, Giles; O'Brien, Frances G; Tenover, Fred C; McDougal, Linda K; Monk, Alastair B; Enright, Mark C

Authors

D Ashley Robinson

Angela M Kearns

Anne Holmes

Hajo Grundmann

Giles Edwards

Frances G O'Brien

Fred C Tenover

Linda K McDougal

Alastair B Monk

Mark C Enright



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.

Citation

Robinson, D. A., Kearns, A. M., Holmes, A., Morrison, D., Grundmann, H., Edwards, G., O'Brien, F. G., Tenover, F. C., McDougal, L. K., Monk, A. B., & Enright, M. C. (2005). Re-emergence of early pandemic Staphylococcus aureus as a community-acquired meticillin-resistant clone. Lancet, 365(9466), 1256-1258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736%2805%2974814-5

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date 2005-04
Deposit Date Jun 12, 2015
Print ISSN 0140-6736
Electronic ISSN 1474-547X
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 365
Issue 9466
Pages 1256-1258
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736%2805%2974814-5
Keywords Staphylococcus aureus; phage type 80/81; hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections; penicillinase-resistant β lactams; MRSA:
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/8676
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(05)74814-5