LECTIN TYPING OF METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS FROM SINGAPORE, ENGLAND AND WALES, AND DENMARK

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from a pos sible outbreak in Singapore (84) were examined together with all MRSA isolated in Denmark in 1986-1990 (58) and 14 distinct epidemic and 10 distinct single hospital strains from England and Wales. All 84 Singap ore isolates were phage typed routinely and 52 isolates were further a nalysed together with the Danish isolates with an additional set of ex perimental phages and by lectin typing. The British strains, previousl y phage typed in the same way, were lectin typed. The following lectin s were used: wheat-term agglutinin, soy-bean agglutinin, tomato lectin and Concanavalin-A. Routine phage typing of the Danish isolates showe d that 41 isolates belonged to 19 different types; 17 isolates were no n-typable (NT). Addition of experimental phage typing and lectin typin g enhanced discrimination to 47 types. The 24 British strains could be divided into nine '' lectin types ''. Sixty-one of the isolates from Singapore were non-typable by phage typing; the remaining 23 strains b elonged to five types. Further examination of 52 isolates with the exp erimental set of phages and by lectin typing gave 14 closely related t ypes; 48 % of these isolates belonged to only two types.