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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2008, p. 2930-2937, Vol. 46, No. 9
0095-1137/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.00869-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Countrywide Molecular Survey of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains in Poland

Agnieszka uczak-Kadubowska,¹ Agnieszka Sulikowska,² Joanna Empel,² Anna Piasecka,³ Monika Orczykowska,² Aleksandra Kozinska,² and Waleria Hryniewicz^1,2*

Centre of Quality Control in Microbiology, Warsaw, Poland,¹ National Medicines Institute (formerly National Institute of Public Health), Warsaw, Poland,² Warsaw University, Faculty of Biology, Warsaw, Poland³

Received 6 May 2008/ Returned for modification 30 May 2008/ Accepted 1 July 2008

The present investigation was undertaken to assess the proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains among hospital-acquired isolates and to determine the clones of MRSA currently circulating in Poland by using a number of molecular techniques. Between January and May 2005, methicillin resistance was investigated among a total of 915 S. aureus isolates collected from 39 hospitals. A total of 208 (22.7%) isolates were positive for the mecA gene by PCR. The molecular characterization of MRSA isolates was carried out by the multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat fingerprinting, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing, and staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) typing methods. The Hungarian (PFGE B; ST239, SCCmec type III [ST239-III]), Iberian (ST247-I), and Berlin (ST45-IV) clones were predominant, representing approximately 52.9, 11.5, and 10.0% of the MRSA isolates, respectively. A decline in the proportion of earlier MRSA clones, such as ST5-IV (a Pediatric clone), ST80-IV) (a Mediterranean clone), ST239-III (a Polish and Brazilian clone), and ST30-IV (a southwest Pacific clone) was observed. Additionally, the emergence of an MRSA clone with SCCmec type V, possibly representing a community-acquired strain, was observed in two hospitals during this study.

Published ahead of print on 9 July 2008.