TABLE 1.

Characteristics of 38 MRSA strains isolated worldwide

MRSA straina	Country of isolation	Yr of isolation	Coagulase isotypeb	Designation of probe(s) with positive hybridization			PCR result for localization of representative gene or structured						Reference
				NCTC 10442	N315	85/2082	ccr gene typee	IS1272	mecI	mecR1 PB/MS	mecA	MREP typingf
NCTC 10442	United Kingdom	1961	3	1–6	2, 3, 10	2–5	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	32
61/6219	United Kingdom	1961	3	1–6	3, 4, 10	2–5	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	32
64/3846	United Kingdom	1964	3	1–6	2–4, 10	2–5	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	32
64/4176	United Kingdom	1964	3	1–6	1–3, 10	2–5	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	32
86/4372(DNH)	United Kingdom	1986	3	1	1–3, 10	2, 3, 5	−	+	−	−/+	+	ii	32
KL3	Malaysia	1987	3	1–6	2–4, 10	2–5	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	38
KL50	Malaysia	1989	4	1, 5	1–3	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	38
86/961	United Kingdom	1986	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
86/560	United Kingdom	1986	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/1340	Yugoslavia	1985	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/1762	Hungary	1985	4	1, 5	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/2082	New Zealand	1985	4	1, 5	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/2111	Norway	1985	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/1836	Germany	1985	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/2147	Hong Kong	1985	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/3907	Germany	1985	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
86/2652	United Kingdom	1986	4	1, 2, 4	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/5495	Saudi Arabia	1985	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/5328	Portugal	1985	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	−	32
85/3619	Austria	1985	4	5	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
85/3566	Holland	1985	4	None	1–4	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	iii	32
82/20-1	Japan	1982	2	1, 2, 5	1–10	1, 2, 4, 5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	33
85/2235	United States	1985	2	5	1–10	1, 2, 4, 5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	32
86/JO60	Japan	1985	2	1, 5	1–10	1, 2, 4, 5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	32
86/BB5918	Japan	1986	2	1	1–10	1, 2, 4, 5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	32
87/27	Japan	1987	2	1, 2, 5	1–10	1, 2, 4, 5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	32
N315	Japan	1982	2	None	1–10	2	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	10
87/20	Japan	1987	2	1, 2, 5	1–10	1, 2, 4, 5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	32
87/25 (DNH)	Japan	1987	2	1, 5	1–4, 6–10	1, 2, 4, 5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	32
84/9580	South Africa	1984	2	1–6	1–4, 10	2–5, 7	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	32
86/9302	United Kingdom	1986	2	1–6	1–4, 10	2–5	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	32
85/1774	Italy	1985	2	1–6	1–4, 10	2–5	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	32
85/1940	France	1985	2	1–6	2, 3, 5	2–5	1	+	−	−/+	+	i	32
85/4231	Canada	1985	4	None	1–10	2–5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	32
85/2232	United States	1985	4	None	1–10	2–5	2	−	+	+/+	+	ii	32
81/108 (DNH)	Japan	1981	4	1, 5	2–4	2–5	2	+	−	−/+	+	ii	12
93/H44	Japan	1993	4	1, 5	1–3	1–7	3	−	+	+/+	+	i	11
85/4547 (DNH)	Israel	1985	7	1, 3	3, 4	2, 5	2	+	−	−/+	+	ii	32

^aDNH, strain whose chromosomal DNA did not typically hybridize to any of the three sets of the typing probes. 

^bSee the article by Ushioda et al. (34) for details of coagulase isotyping. 

^cSee Fig. 1 for the locations of the probes. 

^dLocalizations of the essential genes in SCCmec were estimated by PCR. The mecA gene and its regulator genes mecI and mecRI of both the penicillin-binding region (PB) and membrane spanning region (MS) are identified by using the primers described by Suzuki et al. (31). Localization of IS1272 in SCCmec was identified with the set of primers mA2, corresponding to the nucleotide sequence of the mecA gene, and iS-4, corresponding to the nucleotide sequence of IS1272 (2). A minus sign indicates that no DNA fragment was amplified by the set of primers described above. 

^eThe type of ccr complex was identified with PCR by combining primer β2, which was common to three ccrB genes, and three primers specific for each ccrA gene, α2(ccrA1), α3 (ccrA2), and α4 (ccrA3). 

^fMREP typing is a method to amplify the right extremity region of SCCmec by using the primer sets bracketing the right SCCmec-chromosome junction point. The right PCR primer was cR4, and the left primers for each type of SCCmec were mR2 (types I and II) and mN16 (type III). For the locations of primers, see Fig. 1.