Table 3. Characteristics of CC8 MRSA in Kuwait hospitals.

MRSA clones	Spa type	Resistance phenotype	Antibiotic resistance genes	Virulence genes
CC8
ST8-IV	t008	K,E,CIP	msrA, mphC aphA3, Sat, fosB	PVL, sek, seq, ACME
ST8-IV	t008	K,E,CC,SH,CIP,TOB	ermA, aadD, qacA, fosB, merA, merB	sea
ST8-IV	at064	CN,K,AK,E,CC,TE,W, CIP,TOB, HLR-MUP	ermC, aacA-aphD, aadD, qacC, dfrS1, mupA,tetM, fosB	sea, seb, sek, seq,LukF-PV (P83)
ST113-IV	t064	CN,K,E,CC,C,TE,W,CIP,TOB	ermC, aacA-aphD, tetK, cat,fosB	sea, seb, sed, sek, seq,LukF-PV (P83)
ST113-IV	t064	CN,K,E,CC,W,CIP,TOB	ermC, aacA-aphD, aphA3, Sat,fosB	-
ST8-V	t064	CN,K,E,CC,CIP,TOB	ermC, aacA-aphD, fosB	sea, seb, sek, seq
ST239-III	t421	CN,K,AK,E,CC,TE,FD,SH,CIP,TOB	ermA, aacA-aphD, aphA3,qacA, Sat, tetK, tetM, fosB,merA,merB	sea, sek, seq
ST239-III	t030	CN,K,AK,E,CC,TE,RF,SH,CIP,TOB	ermA, ermC, aacA-aphD, tetM, fosB	sea, sek, seq ACME
bST239-III	ct037,t421,t860,t945	CN,K,AK,E,CC,TE,W,FD, TOB	ermA,aacA-aphD, tetM, fosB,	sek, seq
dST421-III	t037, t138, t1902	CN,K,AK,E,CC,TE,W,FD,TOB	ermA, aacA-aphD, aphA3, tetM, fosB, merA, merB	sek, seq
ST1465-III	t459	CN,K,AK,E,CC,TE,RF,SH,CIP,TOB	ermA, ermC, aacA-aphD,tetM,fosB	sea,sed,sek, seq,ACME

^aOne of the isolates obtained in 2001 lacked LukF-PV (P83).

^bST239-III isolates carried sea, sak, chp, scn, ermC, lnuA aphA3, qacA, qacC, Sat, tetK, cat, merA, merB, mupA variably.

^cOne t037 isolate obtained in 2005 lacked ermA.

^dST241-III isolates carried fnbB, ermC, tetK, qacA, qacC, sat, cat variably.