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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Multiplex PCR Assay for Typing of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome Mec Types I to V in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
09:03

Multiplex PCR Assay for Typing of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome Mec Types I to V in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Published on: September 5, 2013

Molecular characterization of hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in pediatric

Elisabetta Ugolotti1, Roberto Bandettini, Anna Marchese

  • 1Molecular Medicine, Deparment of Experimental Medicine Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Largo G. Gaslini 5, 16147 Genoa, Italy.

Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease
|January 22, 2011
PubMed

Insights

This study analyzed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pediatric infections. Combining spa and clumping factor B (clfB) typing effectively traced MRSA outbreaks in hospitals.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a significant threat in healthcare settings, particularly in pediatric populations.
  • Accurate typing methods are crucial for tracking MRSA transmission and controlling outbreaks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of combining multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat DNA sequence-based typing of protein A (spa) and clumping factor B (clfB) for analyzing MRSA isolates.
  • To compare this combined typing method with traditional pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for tracing MRSA pediatric outbreaks.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 67 clinical MRSA isolates from pediatric hospital infections.
  • Utilized multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat DNA sequence-based techniques targeting the spa polymorphic X region and the clfB complete R domain.
  • Defined a "clfB similarity score" and compared double loci analysis with PFGE.

Main Results:

  • Identified an endemic MRSA clone (MLST-ST8, spa-t008, SCCmecIV, ClfB lineage 1) associated with three potential outbreaks.
  • Identified a second MRSA clone (MLST-ST152, spa-t355, SCCmecV, ClfB lineage 4) responsible for limited infections.
  • Demonstrated the effectiveness of combined spa and clfB-lineage typing in tracing MRSA pediatric outbreaks.

Conclusions:

  • The combination of spa and clfB-lineage typing is a valuable tool for epidemiological surveillance of MRSA in pediatric settings.
  • This method aids in the timely identification and control of MRSA outbreaks.
  • The findings support the use of molecular typing for enhanced infection control strategies.

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