Researchers Expect Virulent New MRSA Strains to Emerge
Posted on January 21, 2008
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Researchers studying community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also called CA-MRSA, have traced its genetic origins to a single bacterial strain, and expect new forms of the extraordinarily resilient bacteria to evolve.
Comparative genome sequencing methods were used by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) scientists to study the evolution of the USA300 group of CA-MRSA strains. Results showed that of 10 geographically diverse patient samples of USA300, the so-called “epidemic strain,” eight were virtually indistinguishable and two were more distantly related.
Researchers also noted that extremely small genetic differences found in evolving strains had a dramatic impact on drug-resistance and potential lethality in humans.
The study was led by Frank R. DeLeo, Ph.D., at NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana. “We anticipate that new USA300 derivatives will emerge within the next several years and that these strains will have a wide range of disease-causing potential,” said Dr. DeLeo, who noted the “extraordinary transmissibility and fitness” of the USA300 group of MRSA strains.
Dr. DeLeo and his colleagues hope this research will lead to the development of new diagnostic tests that can quickly identify individual strains of CA-MRSA.
The NIAID study will appear online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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