Abstract
We isolated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from a 3-month-old Indian girl who was born in the United States, moved to Japan, and suffered from subcutaneous abscesses in 2007. The MRSA (strain NN36) belonged to multilocus sequence type (ST) 8, exhibited agr1, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IVa, and coagulase type III, and was positive for Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and the arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME), just like the USA300 clone, which is the predominant community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) in the United States. Strain NN36 shared an identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern with the USA300 clone. Although the USA300 clone is of spa1, strain NN36 possessed spa985. Strain NN36 was resistant to erythromycin and kanamycin, in addition to β-lactam agents (e.g., oxacillin). The data suggest that the USA300 clone has emerged in Japan. Because the USA300 clone has recently spread to European countries, surveillance of the USA300 clone should be actively performed in Japan.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Zetola N, Francis JS, Nuermberger EL, Bishai WR. Communityacquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: an emerging threat. Lancet Infect Dis 2005;5:275–286
Kirkland EB, Adams BB. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and athletes. J Am Acad Dermatol 2008;59:494–502.
Tenover FC, McDougal LK, Goering RV, Killgore G, Projan SJ, Patel JB, et al. Characterization of a strain of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus widely disseminated in the United States. J Clin Microbiol 2006;44:108–118.
Vandenesch F, Naimi T, Enright MC, Lina G, Nimmo GR, Heffernan H, et al. Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carrying Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes: worldwide emergence. Emerg Infect Dis 2003;9:978–984.
Yamamoto T, Dohmae S, Saito K, Otsuka T, Takano T, Chiba M, et al. Molecular characteristics and in vitro susceptibility to antimicrobial agents, including the des-fluoro(6) quinolone DX-619, of Panton-Valentine leucocidin-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from the community and hospitals. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2006;50:4077–4086.
Baranovich T, Potapov V, Yamamoto T. The first isolation of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) positive community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in Russia. Euro Surveill 2007;12:E070315.4.
Diep BA, Gill SR, Chang RF, Phan TH, Chen JH, Davidson MG, et al. Complete genome sequence of USA300, an epidemic clone of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Lancet 2006;367:731–739.
Witte W, Braulke C, Strommenger B. Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST8 (“USA300”) in an HIV-positive patient in Cologne, Germany, February 2008. Euro Surveill 2008;13. pii: 8080.
Strommenger B, Cuny C, Werner G, Witte W. Obvious lack of association between dynamics of epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in central Europe and agr specificity groups. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2004;23:15–19.
Oliveira DC, de Lencastre H. Multiplex PCR strategy for rapid identification of structural types and variants of the mec element in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2002;46:2155–2161.
Ito T, Ma XX, Takeuchi F, Okuma K, Yuzawa H, Hiramatsu K. Novel type V staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec driven by a novel cassette chromosome recombinase, ccrC. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2004;48:2637–2651.
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Performance standard for antimicrobial susceptibility testing; 15th informational supplement, vol. 25, no. 1, M100-S15. Wayne, PA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; 2005.
Takizawa Y, Taneike I, Nakagawa S, Oishi T, Nitahara Y, Iwakura N, et al. A Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-positive community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain, another such strain carrying a multiple-drug resistance plasmid, and other more-typical PVL-negative MRSA strains found in Japan. J Clin Microbiol 2005;43:3356–3363.
Ito T, Iijima M, Fukushima T, Nonoyama M, Ishii M, Baranovich T, et al. Pediatric pneumonia death caused by community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Japan. Emerg Infect Dis 2008;14:1312–1314.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Severe methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus community-acquired pneumonia associated with influenza — Louisiana and Georgia, December 2006–January 2007. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2007;56:325–329.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Shibuya, Y., Hara, M., Higuchi, W. et al. Emergence of the community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 clone in Japan. J Infect Chemother 14, 439–441 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-008-0640-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-008-0640-1