Complete genomes of two clinical Staphylococcus aureus strains: evidence for the rapid evolution of virulence and drug resistance.

Journal article

Staphylococcus aureus is an important nosocomial and community-acquired pathogen. Its genetic plasticity has facilitated the evolution of many virulent and drug-resistant strains, presenting a major and constantly changing clinical challenge. We sequenced the approximately 2.8-Mbp genomes of two disease-causing S. aureus strains isolated from distinct clinical settings: a recent hospital-acquired representative of the epidemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus EMRSA-16 clone (MRSA252), a clinic...

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Authors: Holden, M; Feil, E; Lindsay, J; Peacock, S; Day, N

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
• Volume: 101
• Issue: 26
• Pages: 9786-9791
• Publication date: 2004-06-01
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0402521101
• EISSN: 1091-6490
• ISSN: 0027-8424
• Language: English
• Keywords: Humans; Genomics; Staphylococcus aureus; Virulence; Genetic Variation; Genes, Bacterial; Staphylococcal Infections; Genome, Bacterial; Evolution, Molecular; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Phylogeny; Sequence Analysis, DNA