TRACING THE SPREAD OF METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS BY SOUTHERN BLOT HYBRIDIZATION USING GENE-SPECIFIC PROBES OF MEC AND TN554

In a community hospital in Brooklyn, New York, over a 3-year period, 7 9 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from fiv e different case clusters were subtyped by Southern blot hybridization with two previously characterized gene probes, mec and Tn554, Togethe r, the genotyping enabled the hospital infection control team to diffe rentiate simultaneous MRSA clusters in the surgical intensive care uni t (type I:A) and the open heart unit (type II:J), document the spread of one strain (type I:A) between roommates, identify an endemic strain (type II:J) from cardiac monitors and medical personnel, and identify an unrelated outbreak strain (type II:NH) in the labor and delivery u nit, On the basis of this investigation it is clear that the routine D NA fingerprinting of MRSA in health care facilities, to monitor their spread and identify cases of nosocomial infections, is an important in fection control measure.