National survey of molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus colonization in Belgian cystic fibrosis patients

Objectives Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is poorly defined in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, and S. aureus detection may be hampered by the presence of small colony variants (SCVs). We conducted a multicentre survey to determine the prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA colonization in Belgian CF patients and characterize the phenotype and clonal distribution of their staphylococcal strains. Methods S. aureus isolated from CF patients attending nine CF centres were collected. Oxacillin resistance was detected by oxacillin agar screen and mecA PCR. Antibiotic sus... Mehr ...