FIG 1.

The relative proportions of the 190 pvl-positive MRSA isolates identified by the Irish National MRSA Reference Laboratory between 2002 and 2011 assigned to each genotype each year during the study period and the annual percentage of these MRSA isolates that exhibited multiresistance during this time period (black line). Multiresistant MRSA isolates were defined as those exhibiting resistance to three of more classes of commonly used antimicrobial agents, including fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, macrolides/lincosamides, tetracyclines, fusidic acid, and mupirocin (22). Numbers in parentheses (n) indicate the numbers of pvl-positive MRSA isolates identified each year.