PMID- 6619288
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19831123
LR  - 20210526
IS  - 0095-1137 (Print)
IS  - 1098-660X (Electronic)
IS  - 0095-1137 (Linking)
VI  - 18
IP  - 2
DP  - 1983 Aug
TI  - Comparison of epidemiological markers used in the investigation of an outbreak of 
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.
PG  - 395-9
AB  - An outbreak of nosocomial infections was caused by a single strain of 
      methicillin-resistant (MR) Staphylococcus aureus. This strain was followed as it 
      was transmitted from the index case to 17 patients, 3 hospital personnel, and 12 
      items in the hospital environment. The MR S. aureus strain was traced by using 
      four specific epidemiological markers: antibiogram, phage type, production of 
      aminoglycoside-inactivating enzymes, and plasmid pattern. These markers were 
      assessed for their reliability in differentiating the epidemic S. aureus strain 
      from resident nonepidemic strains and for the ease and rapidity with which they 
      determined differences. The epidemic strain was resistant to beta-lactam 
      antibiotics, gentamicin, erythromycin, clindamycin, and rifampin. Resistance to 
      rifampin was the only unique marker in the antibiogram which distinguished the 
      epidemic strain from the indigenous strains, and it was the easiest marker to use 
      for screening isolates from culture surveys. Phage typing was poorly reproducible 
      and did not yield results rapidly enough to be useful for ongoing epidemiology. 
      The epidemic strain produced a unique aminoglycoside-inactivating enzyme 
      (3'-phosphotransferase) which distinguished it from indigenous 
      gentamicin-resistant staphylococci, but this marker was not easily identified, 
      nor was identification helpful during the course of the investigation. Plasmid 
      pattern analysis was rapidly performed (in less than 24 h), allowed many isolates 
      to be examined at a time, was stable and reproducible, and yielded a unique 
      fingerprint which distinguished the epidemic strain from all indigenous isolates. 
      Plasmid pattern analysis is a promising epidemiological tool for MR S. aureus 
      outbreaks in which epidemic strains lack unique antibiotic resistance markers.
FAU - Archer, G L
AU  - Archer GL
FAU - Mayhall, C G
AU  - Mayhall CG
LA  - eng
GR  - HL-19818/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PL  - United States
TA  - J Clin Microbiol
JT  - Journal of clinical microbiology
JID - 7505564
RN  - Q91FH1328A (Methicillin)
SB  - IM
MH  - Bacteriophage Typing
MH  - Cross Infection/*microbiology
MH  - *Disease Outbreaks
MH  - Humans
MH  - Methicillin/*pharmacology
MH  - Microbial Sensitivity Tests
MH  - Penicillin Resistance
MH  - Plasmids
MH  - Staphylococcal Infections/epidemiology/*microbiology
MH  - Staphylococcus aureus/*drug effects/enzymology
PMC - PMC270812
EDAT- 1983/08/01 00:00
MHDA- 1983/08/01 00:01
PMCR- 1983/08/01
CRDT- 1983/08/01 00:00
PHST- 1983/08/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1983/08/01 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1983/08/01 00:00 [entrez]
PHST- 1983/08/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.1128/jcm.18.2.395-399.1983 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Clin Microbiol. 1983 Aug;18(2):395-9. doi: 10.1128/jcm.18.2.395-399.1983.