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RAPD typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a 7-year experience in a Polish hospital.

BACKGROUND
Methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are important etiological factors responsible for healthcare-associated infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemic and to discriminate all of the involved strains isolated at the Provincial Hospital in Gdańsk and, on this basis, perform an epidemiological investigation using the random amplification of polymorphic DNA PCR (RAPD) with the primer AP-7.


MATERIAL/METHODS
Two hundred and thirty-four isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were typed to evaluate a seven-year epidemic of MRSA at the hospital. All isolates were recovered from infection and carriage sites of patients. Numerous strains were isolated from patients suffering from generalized infections, bacteremia, and endoprosthesis-related infections.


RESULTS
Using the RAPD PCR method, the collection of 234 MRSA strains was divided into 10 groups, one of which was the most common (81%). No correlation between the S. aureus clones determined in this way and hospital department or the type of infection was found.


CONCLUSIONS
It was confirmed that MRSA infections may be easily spread throughout a hospital and that the introduction of a surveillance program implemented with control procedures is sufficient to restrict serious problems such as an MRSA epidemic.