EMERGENCE OF A METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS CLONE RELATED TO THE BRAZILIAN EPIDEMIC CLONE III--B-A CAUSING INVASIVE DISEASE AMONG AIDS PATIENTS IN A BRAZILIAN HOSPITAL

In a previous study we described the extensive geographic spread of a multidrug-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clone in hospitals located in the southern, southeastern, and norther n parts of Brazil. In this study we used a set of molecular markers to demonstrate the emergence of a novel MRSA clone distinct from but clo sely related to the widely spread Brazilian epidemic clone. The new MR SA clone caused an outbreak among acquired immunodeficiency syndrome p atients in a Brazilian hospital specializing in tropical diseases and human immunodeficiency virus- and human T-cell leukemia virus (HLTV)-r elated infections.