Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones from a teaching hospital in Tehran

A total of 52 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates were collected from patients attending the teaching hospital of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Disks containing antibiotics were used to determine the susceptibility of MRSA isolates. Analysis of SmaI macrorestriction profiles of the 52 MRSA isolates were grouped into three PFGE types. The majority of isolates (n=49) were clustered into only one major PFGE type, designated as pulsotype A; these belonged to SCCmec type III or IIIA and showed resistance to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, erythromycin, gentamicin, and tetracycline. The remaining isolates fell into pulsotypes B and C, both belonging to SCCmec-type IV. All MRSA isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin, quinupristin-dalfopristin, linezolid, and tigecycline. The present study shows that a MRSA clone similar to the Brazilian clone (ST 239) of MRSA, which is a multiresistant MRSA clone with a high level of methicillin resistance, is very common in this teaching hospital in Tehran.