USA300-the major epidemic strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causing severe infections in the United States during the past decade-inherits its destructiveness directly from a forefather strain of the bacterium called USA500 rather than randomly acquiring harmful genes from other MRSA strains.
This finding comes from a new study led by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
The study authors suggest that a radical shift may be needed in how scientists should design MRSA therapeutics. Instead of the current focus on neutralizing MRSA by targeting products of mobile genetic elements-DNA molecules that bacteria acquire randomly by interacting with other bacteria-scientists should switch to looking at the permanent DNA backbone (core genome) of USA300 to understand how increased production of certain proteins such as toxins affects its virulence in humans.
NIAID scientist Michael Otto, Ph.D., directed the study, which involved analyzing DNA sequences of the major epidemic forms of S. aureus. The research team found that the lineage of the bacteria fell into three distinct families: (1) USA300 and its forefather, USA500, which are epidemic in U.S. hospital and community settings; (2) MRSA found primarily in hospitals in the United Kingdom and Europe; and (3) MRSA found in hospitals in South America, Europe and Asia.