Breakthrough in MRSA studies

Scientists believe that they have identified the genes responsible for the resistance and virulence of a serious MRSA strain.

The strain, USA300, was isolated in September 2000. It is associated with unusually invasive disease and often resistant to multiple antibiotics.

MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for an increasing number of deaths in British hospitals. MRSA is linked to about 1,000 deaths a year in British hospitals.

Research from the University of California, published in The Lancet, claims to have identified the genes responsible for USA300’s especially virulent properties.

They found that USA300 has incorporated part of the genome of another bacterium, Staphylococcus epidermidis into its own genetic make-up. The investigators believe that these incorporated genes enable the strain to evade host immune responses to survive and spread in host tissue.

Lead scientist Professor Francoise Perdreau-Remington, said that USA300 had some unusual properties.

“USA300 has acquired mobile genetic elements that encode resistance and virulence determinants that could enhance fitness and pathogenicity,” Professor Perdreau-Remington said.

But the study gives no immediate breakthrough in the treatment of MRSA. Prevention is still the key for most hospitals with the standard rules of good hygiene and hand washing remaining paramount.

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