Changes in major populations of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Belgium

• Published in: The Journal of hospital infection Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 197 - 203
• Main Authors: Wildemauwe, C., Godard, C., Vanhoof, R., Van Bossuyt, E., Hannecart-Pokorni, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kent Elsevier Ltd 01.11.1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes; Aminoglycosides; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; AP-PCR; Bacteriology; Bacteriophage Typing; Belgium - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cross Infection - epidemiology; Cross Infection - microbiology; DNA Fingerprinting; DNA, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Metabolism. Enzymes; Methicillin Resistance; Microbiology; MRSA; phage-types; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcus aureus - classification; Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Staphylococcus aureus - enzymology; Belgium; Europe; Staphylococcus aureus; aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes; AP-PCR; phage-types; MRSA; Acyltransferases; Typing; Enzyme; Transferases; Epidemiology; Mechanism; Infection; Virus; Resistance; Aminoglycoside; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Micrococcaceae; Staphylococcal infection; Staphylococcus aureus; Phage
• ISSN: 0195-6701; 1532-2939
• DOI: 10.1016/S0195-6701(96)90066-3

A total of 102 epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates collected in 13 Belgian hospitals during two periods (1981–1985 and 1991–1992) were tested for phage-type, for the presence of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AME), and examined by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR). All isolates, but five, belonged to a few distinct phage-types of group III. Most isolates expressed a combination of AAC(6′)-APH(2″) with APH(3′)III, and ANT(4′,4″) or both. Both phage-typing and AME suggested a change in the MRSA population between the two periods but the AP-PCR method revealed only slight differences.